So a Fitbit review has been long overdue for me. The truth is, when I grabbed this little green guy in February this year, I didn’t have a lot of faith in myself to stick with it. I don’t have the best track record. So even though I wanted to write a gushing Fitbit review a few days into our little adventure, I put it off.
Now it’s been six months and I think it’s time I spilled the beans.
Frankly, I love it. Like seriously. Forgetting to wear my Fitbit first thing in the morning would feel like not taking a shower. Or forgetting my purse when I go out. Kinda that sinking “oh no” feeling.
I may be a little too attached. But I don’t mind. This little green reminder has made a huge impact on my life. Here’s my fitbit review, which is not only honest but maybe also a bit embarassing.
Fitbit Review Revelation #1: Hi, I’m Sedentary
The thing about my Fitbit is that it doesn’t lie. It’s painfully honest.
I mean, I knew I wasn’t very active. Sure, I threw in a couple good strength training workouts every week, and went on the occasional walk. But truthfully between my working at a computer and homeschooling the kids, I get caught up with a lot of chair time. Moving around isn’t really “built in” to my life. It has to be purposeful.
At least, that’s what I realized once I clipped on my Fitbit.
That’s when I found out I was actually sedentary.
You heard me.
Me, the girl who talks about loving your body and moving your body and how important exercise (and more importantly, movement) is for your metabolic health.
SEDENTARY.
It was a cruel reality check.
I was actually only getting 2,000-3,000 steps on most days.
So you know me. I don’t do the whole “guilt and shame” thing when it comes to my health. I just acknowledged reality and realized a change was in order.
I needed to get up and move.
Funny how a little green alien device clipped to your pants will make you want to take the stairs a little more often… go enjoy a sunset walk instead of just watching TV… find out with your kids how many steps it is around the little league field.
Fitbit Review Revelation #2: I was stuck in a box.
Then it dawned on me that a long time ago I put myself in a box. I told myself I wasn’t a good runner. That I didn’t like exercise. That I hated being active.
And I totally bought into it. For years and years.
So this year, I said to myself, “Why not run? I want to be able to run! Not like marathons or anything. But I want to know that I can pick up and run a mile or two without, you know, dying.”
Well, at first I couldn’t. Like not even a little. I think I got about 1/4 mile in my first run. My feet hurt. My shins hurt. My lungs hurt. Bad.
But instead of telling myself, “Whoa, you are not a runner, Elizabeth, and you never will be.”
I said, “How cool is that?! I just ran 1/4 mile!”
I stopped being hard on myself and tried to just experience gratitude for whatever my body was capable of doing.
My progress was pretty darn slow. And I let it be. I had a lot going on in my life and I didn’t want running to take over. I just wanted to be consistent. I knew consistency would win the game.
So next I ran 1/2 mile for the first time in my life. Then a whole mile.
And then a few weeks ago I ran 2 miles straight for the first time. Ever.
I was so stinking proud.
Fitbit Review Revelation #3: Awareness equals change.
The truth is, I never wanted to believe I wasn’t an active person. It made me feel bad. And tired. And kind of worthless. So I ignored the problem.
This year I got to a place in my life where I was ready for honesty. I want to be a healthy person. And being active in a balanced way is definitely part of that.
So even though my Fitbit gave me a rough reality check, it also made me aware of what needed to change. And without that awareness, change was impossible.
With awareness? Change was practically automatic.
The key was to be aware without being judgmental. I wasn’t hard on myself. I didn’t call myself names. I didn’t berate myself or buy “motivation pants” or basically bring anything negative to the table.
From there, change was easy. It was just small adjustments and being consistent. I don’t always get 10,000 steps a day. In fact, I may have a couple weeks where I barely see above 6,000. But you know what? That’s still progress, and it makes me happy.
Fitbit Review Revelation #4: Yes, I lost weight.
I almost don’t want to say this, because I don’t like to put too much focus on weight in general.
But healthy weight loss as a side effect of healthy choices? That’s cool with me. And that’s exactly what happened.
I didn’t diet this year. In fact, I haven’t dieted in almost 4 years. I’ve officially sworn off dieting, as I talked about here.
But during my Fitbit adventure, I went from 153 to 143 lbs over the course of six months. Without even trying. At all.
I keep aware of my food intake, mostly because I like to know what I’m eating and to make sure I’m getting enough protein, calories and whatnot. And it’s interesting to note that I’ve eaten about 2000-2400 calories every day since my little green dude joined my life. And I don’t exercise like crazy, I never go to the gym, and most nights I plop on the couch and enjoy me some Netflix just like everyone else.
So the 10lbs lost truly is just an unintended side effect of my little green friend. And I’ll take it.
Anyway…
I know you’ve been waiting to hear my embarrassing secret (plus I dish on why I chose the color green for my Fitbit…), so watch my video below to find out.
P.S. Want a Fitbit for yourself? Grab one here.
VIDEO: My Embarrassing Secret to Getting 10,000 Steps a Day
In case it’s not clear in the video: I’m jiving/dancing/walking in place while I commit said embarrassing act in order to log those steps.
So that’s my fitbit review. I hope you enjoyed it! Do you have a fitbit? If so, how has it helped you? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Elizabeth is the founder and creative director at The Nourished Life. Her mission is to help people find a more balanced (less stressful!) approach to living a happy, healthy life. Read more about Elizabeth here.
Bethany says
My kids would love this– they are always finding reasons to support playing games. Anyways, I have been fighting the trend that is fitbit, thinking it was just another way to spend $$$ but you make a terrific argument for why so many people must love it! So now I think I’m going to ask for one for my upcoming birthday. I could totally relate to your feelings of knowing how good exercise is for everyone but really just not liking to do it much. You’ve inspired me now! Thank you for sharing!!!
Elizabeth Walling says
I really am so happy I made the investment. I have bought many an odd gadget in the name of health, but the two I never regret are my FitBit and my foam roller (saves my back!). My 9-yr-old son gets a kick out of seeing my steps go up every day. He’ll sometimes ask me out of nowhere how many steps I’ve gotten in so far. Talk about keeping me accountable!
Doris says
Congrats and Welcome to the world of Fitbit. I also started out with the little green guy about three years ago, my Christmas gift to myself, and it also changed my life. I felt “naked” without it, and would push myself a little further if I was only a few hundred steps from my goal. I am not a fitness or weight loss fanatic, but am conscientious about what I eat, and I do try to get at least 6000 steps in every day, as I am also mostly sedentary. I have gotten my husband a fitbit as well, and we challenge one another, and I cannot let him get one over on me. All in all I just feel great, and I know I am doing something to benefit my health.
Elizabeth Walling says
Naked without it — that’s exactly how I feel!! That’s so cool you both got a Fitbit! My hubby doesn’t have one yet, but he knows I’m tracking my steps and he goes on walks all the time with me to help us both get more activity in. It’s definitely a fun, healthy way to spend time together.
Bettina says
Great article and really motivating! 🙂 I just finished reading your book “the nourished metabolism”, and I have a question: in the book it says that running is cardio and not the greatest thing, because of stress its forming in the body. But do you just mean long running, like Marathon running? Because like you I just have started beeing more active and going first thing after waking up in the morning running slowly and/or walk for about 20-30 minutes in the fresh air (absolutely love it!) Is this smart exercise in your opinion? In the afternoon I like additinally to do HIIT, Yoga and horseback riding a few times a week. Greetings from Vienna! 🙂 Bettina
Elizabeth Walling says
Hi Bettina! Cardio has its pros and cons, and it depends a lot on the individual. I think shorter sessions of moderate cardio are healthy for most people, especially if supported by healthy eating and sleep habits. But yes, with longer sessions of endurance cardio (especially over an hour at a time on a regular basis), you may risk stressing the body too much. Some people may be able to handle it, but like I said, it’s a really individual thing. It’s good to know your body and what helps it thrive. Your activity routine sounds invigorating and fun! As long as you feel great doing that level of activity and your eating/sleeping habits support your activity level, go for it! 🙂
Hillairy Jung says
I totally feel lost without my fitbit. I have to have it at all times.
Elizabeth Walling says
Glad I’m not the only one who feels that way! 🙂
Kimberly says
Similar to my guilty trick – we don’t have TV, but there are a couple of shows I can enjoy on Netflix or Hulu. So when my Fitbit is in low numbers heading into the evening, I’ll close myself in my room and grab a netbook and watch a show while walking, knee-lifting, and jogging in place. One show will usually let me hit my goal when added to my daily (pretty sedentary) life steps. I don’t allow myself these shows otherwise. Although I do have my goal set at 7,000 for now since I’m relatively new to my Fitbit (second guilty secret).
Elizabeth Walling says
Nice! I love that idea. It really helps get those steps in, doesn’t it? 😀
Amy J. says
I have to ask – what games do you play when you do this? I love gaming too, but am having trouble thinking of games I could play while moving :p.
Elizabeth Walling says
My personal favorites are Civilization Revolution and Mushroom Wars — I love MW because I can play 1-2 short levels and each one gets me about 500-1000 steps, so it’s easy to play for a few minutes at a time. CR is a little harder because I tend to get wrapped up in the game and I don’t want to stop playing! lol But it does get more steps in that way. 😉 I got used to the movement after a while and I found a way to work with it while I’m playing.
Sarah says
Okay… maybe WII I could understand, but how are you moving your arms enough while gaming to get credit for steps?
I ask because I love gaming (but have taken about a year off from FFIV and WOW). I am recovering from a total knee replacement, and if I walked 10K steps while using a walker or shopping cart to assist with my balance…I get credit for absolutely ZERO of my steps because my arms are not moving.
If I walk in place or do step aerobics while holding on to a bar, I get plenty of credit for the cardio, but zero credits for all the steps I take.
(I use the FitBit Charge HR2). So you must get crazy into it when you game and thrash around.
Not sure how it happened this morning unless I have started doing some serious sleep walking, but I woke up with over 4k steps on my fit bit and about 3,400 calories burned. I have been using the HR2 for over a year. and that has never happened before. (This is actually a practically new one I bought to replace my old one about 2 weeks ago as the screen on it cracked.)
Keep Moving! 🙂
Elizabeth W. says
I have the FitBit Zip and it always records my steps when walking in place. It may be the different model that makes the difference, I’m not sure. But I definitely don’t have to do any thrashing, lol. 😉