Fitbit Is Now In Charge Of My Life

This is my “I’m trying to please my Fitbit” look. #messybun

I am fairly easily satisfied. I don’t really want for much in life, other than what I already have.

Until that very moment….when I do want something.

Until there is that one shiny thing that catches my eye. That I cannot live without. Not a single minute more.

Then I want it. I want it. I want it! (stomps foot)

And that is exactly what happened with the new Fitbit. I saw it on the internet and before I knew what was happening, I had puffy hearts flying out of my eyes.

Now I wish I could say that I am a famous blogger and Fitbit sent me one, free of charge,  just so I would give it a test run and brag about it all over my social media.

But….no. That never happens to me. So I bought one. Which was way less fun.

Actually I preordered one. That’s how serious I was. I ordered it before it was actually available. It would be mine.

Even sooner than anticipated, I was holding the box in my hand. The box.

I tore it open with reckless abandonment and strapped the tracker onto my wrist. I scanned the instructions, not too much though, just enough to be only slightly knowledgeable about the product.

I downloaded the Fitbit app onto my Android phone. My iPad. My Chromebook.

Fitbit was going to transform my life.

If you don’t know about my new device, let me fill you in. This particular Fitbit is your one stop shop for monitoring your physical activity.

This device monitors heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, flights of stairs climbed, the amount and types of sleep that you get and can also track calories eaten vs. calories burned.

In other words, it was already my newest everything.

I didn’t get the watch for free. I am not trying to give you a review. I am not hosting a special Fitbit giveaway. So why exactly am I writing this post?

Because it has taken over my life.

I never, ever want to take it off. I attribute that to the fact that I am cursed with being an overachiever. I am also a people pleaser. Or in this case, a Fitbit pleaser.

I want to win at every single thing that I ever attempt. Otherwise, I don’t even wanna participate. I’m not saying it’s healthy. I’m just sayin.

Just like everyone else that I know, I packed on a couple of extra layers during the holiday season. And although I know that the key to weight loss is healthy eating and exercise, this Fitbit was going to give me the kick in the pants that I need to push through.

You set goals for yourself, of how many steps you want to take in a day. Or how many flights of stairs you want to climb. Or how many miles you want to walk. And based on your stats and goals, Fitbit decides how many calories you need to burn a day.

I found myself taking the long way to the bathroom. Doing jumping jacks as I cooked the family meal. Climbing the stairs twice instead of once to retrieve my son’s coat.

All of this in an effort to get my numbers up. And it worked. So what did Fitbit do the next day?

She upped my numbers! Now instead of 2,200 calories a day, she wanted me to burn 3,000 a day.

She wasn’t the boss of me! Or maybe….she was.

Either way, I was going to succeed.  Even if it killed me. Okay, not actually until it killed me. But pretty darn close.

My husband noticed the effect the Fitbit was having on me. And he was intrigued. He too wanted to get into better shape.

He asked me a few questions, did some research on his own and then pulled the trigger. He too wanted a Fitbit.

And this is where things got really ugly.

You see, the only person that I am more competitive with than myself, is my husband.

Everything that we do, whether we want it to or not, becomes a competition.

If we are helping our son with third grade math, we both want to be the one who solves the problem first. If we are picking up toys off the floor, we both want to be the one who grabs the most toys.

If we are driving in separate cars, we want to be the one who arrives first at our destination. I don’t care if it requires sneaky shortcuts and speeding. We are officially racing in large SUVs.

NO, I am not proud of that last one.

And now my hubs had a Fitbit. Game on.

Nothing comes before satisfying the tracker. Once my son asked his dad to help him with a math problem. Dad said no time. He had to get in his steps.

Another time I was mindlessly circling my sectional leather sofa, all in an effort to boost my numbers, before I sat down on that couch to relax(ish) for the evening.

Then I looked behind me, only to see my husband hot on my trail, circling the same couch. Not to be outdone.

Anything for Fitbit. How in the world was a band on our wrist commandeering our will to be in charge of our own lives?

I still don’t understand for sure, but I like it.

If you are thinking about a Fitbit of your very own, I would highly recommend getting one. They do encourage you to move. And moving is a great thing.

What I will have to update you on later is how it actually affects your ability to parent small children.

Because if my kids want to talk to me, they had better start moving.

Fighting the public health threat of counterfeit medicaments