Friday 5: Why I Love My Fitbit

I have a confession…. Secretly I’m a numbers person. To those who know me well, this will come as a surprise. To those who know me really well, it’s probably no surprise at all.

Numbers are especially important when it comes to weight. If I don’t see the number, it hasn’t happened, doesn’t exist, isn’t working- regardless of any evidence to the contrary. To all those people who are able to track the success (or otherwise) of their diets just by how their clothes feel- I applaud you. And yes, I know we shouldn’t be talking about diets.

Even if my jeans feel better, even if I’m told that they look better, unless I see that number on the scale going down, it hasn’t happened. It’s why I have to weigh myself regularly- I have no real concept of how I’m going otherwise. The converse is also true.

My jeans could be so tight that organ damage is a very real risk, but unless I stand on the scale and actually see the numbers, I have no problems at all convincing myself that they shrank in the clothes dryer. And yes, I know that I shouldn’t be using a clothes dryer.

It’s the same as the number on the tag. I don’t care if something is a small make, I won’t buy the item if that number is bigger than what I usually wear. And yes, I know that size isn’t supposed to matter…but it does…in this case.

On the other hand, as obsessed as I am about numbers, I often forget what I’m meant to be focusing on, so need reminding… And yes, I know all the theory about habits and how they have to become part of the everyday to be called a habit. Yadda yadda yadda.

I also like a gadget- something new…although I do have a habit of jumping off the bandwagon just as quickly as I jump on it. All of this makes me the perfectly imperfect candidate for a fitbit.

So a few weeks ago, I bought one. Here’s why I love it…5 reasons, in fact:

It measures stuff. Lots of stuff. Stuff that matters and stuff that doesn’t. I can’t be faffed entering in my calories…yet…but if I wanted to, I could. Each week I get an email telling me what I did last week. And the blacked out bit? My weight… you don’t need to know that- my numbers might be important, but there’s some that I don’t want other people to see! It’s a daily reminder to move I set my daily goal at 10,000 steps. Most days I do it, some like today I don’t. Hey, it was 40C! Anyways, usually if I’m running low on steps, I’ll do a circuit at IKEA at lunchtime, or walk up the other end of the office a few more times.

It measures my sleep patterns I’m not great at the whole sleep thing. It’s a combination of not letting go enough to relax, of writing at night, of monkey chatter, and mini series dreams. Now if I’ve had a bad night, I can prove it. Last night wasn’t too bad…except for 38 minutes of tossing and turning at around 3.26am. I can’t cheat Speaking of proving things, there’s nowhere to hide with one of these things. I’ve either done my steps or I haven’t. It keeps me honest. Don’t see the point in this? Hello, if I can lie to myself about the jeans in the dryer thing, I have no problems with being delusional about the amount of exercise I do or don’t do.

The Competition Another confession…secretly I’m seriously competitive. To those who know me well, this will come as a surprise. To those who know me really well, it’s probably no surprise at all. One friend (who knows exactly how competitive I am and who, I suspect, is using that knowledge to inspire me) is buying a fitbit this weekend. I know how competitive that person is, so I’m already plotting how much more incidental exercise I can slot into my day… Game on.

Do you use a fitbit (or equivalent)?