My Fitbit

Have I mentioned my Fitbit yet?  A Fitbit is like a pedometer but goes on your wrist.  It tracks my steps and converts them into miles.  It also keeps track of my sleep, how long I am asleep, when I wake up at night and my restless periods.  It tells me how many very active minutes I have done and how many calories I have burned.  All of this information is synced to my smart phone with a Fitbit app.  I would have to manually put in the calories I have consumed and my water intake.  I just had a brilliant idea.  The next billion dollar money maker.  Figure out a device that will count your calories going in.  Now wouldn't that be something? But I digress.

I bought my sister, Judy, a Fitbit because she is trying to lose weight as well.  The best part is that on the app, I can follow and compete with my friends who also have Fitbits.  The reason I bought one in the first place is because Charlie, my daughter's boyfriend,  had one.  He is now one of my Fitbit friends.  I had a fantasy of out pacing him in the beginning but I know now that will never happen.  Yesterday I put in a total of 20,000 steps, twice my goal or 8 miles total for the day.  Best day yet and my Fitbit told me so.  As I was doing one of my laps around Horner park where I often walk, I ran across Charlie.  Now Kate and Charlie live about a mile west of me and I am 3.5 miles from the lake.  Charlie had already walk to the lake, run for a while along the lake front, walked back and was circling Horner park.  I will never catch up to him.  He loves to walk.  Apparently so does David Sedaris.  Very funny New York Times piece about his Fitbit and his walking.  http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/30/stepping-out-3  Thanks you Judy, for sending me this article.

As David Sedaris suggest in the article, the Fitbit can make one become a bit obsessive if one is prone to that condition.  I find it highly motivating..  As Mr. Sedaris suggests, what good are the steps if they aren't being counted?  I now find myself walking to the El train, instead of catching a closer bus.  I look for excuses to get out and walk.  Last night when I came home I was about 100 steps short of the 20,000 so I paced around the house until I made it.  Maybe I am a little obsessive.  Maybe it is a good thing, if I want to reach my goal.