What the heck is a Fitbit?

A few months ago, Tim(aka hubby), was out of town for work, and our anniversary was coming up. Over the years he has surprised me with a romance novel where we were the characters, a painting of a portrait from our wedding day, and a trip to see Phantom of the Opera in New York City. So when he texted me saying that he had a surprise for me, but that we would both enjoy it, my mind started thinking about what he could possibly surprise me with for our special day.

I wasn't really thinking about how much I had been talking about how I wanted to start getting healthy, and start losing some weight again. He landed home with two Fitbits, one for me, and one for himself. Mine sat on the table in the box for two weeks before Tim opened it up and set it all up for me. And now a few months in, I'm completely hooked. So what is it?

A Fitbit is like a little bracelet with a little chip inside that keeps track of your step, calories and even your sleep. I don't keep track of my sleep as much any more, because I have never been a good sleeper, and I don't need to be constantly reminded, but it has been interesting to note that I sleep way better when hubby is out of town(probably a coincidence, right)?

Anyone who knows me and the hubby, you know that we have always been a bit competitive, it has always kept things interesting. But today I caught him giving his Fitbit to our 5 year old so that he could keep up with me on my steps as I took an extra walk. It has made trying to get our 10,000 steps a day a bit more interesting. When we are on vacation, we are the opposite of most, and getting our steps every day was not a challenge at all, but since getting back, I haven't been hitting my daily goals at all. I am hoping that will all change again this week when the kids go back to school.

The other fun aspect of the Fitbit is that it is kind of like Facebook, and when your friends buy a Fitbit, you can add each other to your "Dashboard" and you can see if they are beating you in steps for the day and week. Each week your Fitbit will let you know who the leader was, and who was in last place. Since other couple friends have bought them, we can taunt, cheer and message each other about how the day is going, or if you are Tim, you pick on the rest who lag behind.

There is also an upgrade you can get on the website once you sign in and they will send you a food plan that you can follow to help you take off the weight faster. I am debating adding that in the next few weeks. Right now I just want to meet that 10,000 step goal for a few weeks before the weather gets cold. So if you are in Fort McMurray and want to pound the pavement, let me know, as I will be jamming some extra walks in every day, as all the way around our subdivision only gives me 3400 steps! And after not being good all summer and adding some pounds back on, I will be needing all the motivation I can get!

The Fitbit will set you back about $100, but it is a fun way to get motivated and you can even add the App onto your smart phone so you can check your steps there too! And they come in a variety of colours so that you can pick your favourite. I'm always looking for new ways to stay motivated, so if you have some good tips, feel free to share in the comments!