Princeton Happenings

Getting Fit with Technology

I was unsure of what to write about for my blog, food or working out? One of my favorite things and the other one of my least favorite but also one of the most needed aspects of a healthy person’s life. I decided to conquer working out, one of my least favorite, most dreaded things…until I found the FitBit.
I started using my FitBit in February and it really helped me get started and stay motivated. You may have heard of them or seen them on someone’s belt buckle a FitBit counts all the calories you burn. It counts how far you’ve walked or run and it counts how many stairs you have taken and it calculates all the calories you burned that day.
The upside of it is that it really motivates you, or did motivate me. Every day, if you continue to stay active a little flower grows on the screen. It also sends you email updates on your daily or weekly progress. Believe it or not making that little flower grow to a big mature one motivated me. If I had only done 8 sets of stairs that day I will literally make myself do 2 more to reach the daily minimum. The numbers the FitBit gives you is based on your current weight verses your goal weight. You create an account on www.fitbit .com and put your information in and it downloads to your FitBit. You can also log your food on the same website. It is very easy and fun to see your progress.
The down side of the little FitBit, is that it calculates burned calories even when you are sleeping and I have never counted sleeping as an activity, now I can…cool huh? It then gives you your total calories burned which in turn can actually make you feel like you can eat more. Not the desired effect that FitBit is looking for. The other down fall is that the FitBit is technology and as we all know technology doesn’t always work. In March my FitBit stopped communicating with my Mac, I gained 5 pounds. 
I started boot camp the beginning of June and wow my FitBit is going crazy. I burned 700 calories my first day! Talk about keeping you motiviated. I am hoping to be down 10lbs by August 26th, wish me luck.