I finally broke down 9 weeks ago and a) joined Weight Watchers to release the stress weight the last 7 years has attracted to my physical body and b) bought a Fitbit (the flex because I'm still in unchartered waters here) to motivate me to move more. Both have worked wonders and I'm releasing weight at a healthy clip.
I already knew and now have re-confirmed that I'm highly competitive when it comes to myself. When I used to run I wasn't satisfied if I didn't at least match, but preferably exceed, my PR. I was brutal to myself. I'm at it again! I get giddy with excitement when I feel the band vibrate on my arm indicating that I've met my daily goal (I'm even more excited when that information is given to me before noon). I love watching the activity on my Fitbit get converted to points on my Weight Watcher app. The more points I accumulate throughout the week the better!
My partner and I went away for the weekend. We went hiking each morning. Saturday we hiked 5-1/2 miles (his Fitbit gives us WAY more kudos than mine) and Sunday we logged on 3-1/2 miles. By the time we got home, my Fitbit had decided to retire ... PERMANENTLY! I was pissed! It wouldn't charge. It wouldn't record anything. It was DOA. I went to bed with the "well there goes everything" attitude.
Seriously? I was going to let my Fitbit dictate whether I got my happy butt out there and moved? It appeared so. I came in from feeding my horses early in the morning to the news from my partner that my Fitbit was charging away and my life wasn't over. JOY! Apparently he said some magical words and summoned the healing powers of the universe and kazaaaam!
So here's where I'm going with all of this. We need to move. We need to eat healthy foods that fuel our body. We shouldn't require fancy gadgets to get us there, but we seem to. It's the world we have created for ourselves. So if you are someone who loves a little healthy competition, either with yourself or with your friends (yes, you can have friends and chat with each other and encourage each other and see how you are doing comparatively), then by all means go out and get one of these little babies. You can score them on Craigslist for pretty cheap since so many are upgrading to a bigger and better model.
Today? I've pretty much doubled my goal and am feeling pretty great. The question is, would I still be feeling great about my accomplishment today if I wasn't wearing my little gadget?
