Running and working out at the gym are great exercise, but I personally think most people don't get the results they are looking for because they don't realize that all of the extra 'working out' is just making up for the walking and moving that they should be doing during the day. Walking and moving have been replaced by sitting in front of a computer and driving in a car. I know that is the case with me.
When I think of the last time I really felt like I was in shape, I was walking back and forth from one end of a college campus to the other, probably racking up four or five miles a day. That doesn't even include any of the walking that was done off of campus or the time I spent at the gym.
These days, if I don't count the walking and running I do for exercise, I don't come anywhere near the 10,000 steps a day that it is recommended. Not even close. I drive my kids to school, I work in front of a computer, and all of my errands are done in a car. To be honest, I really had no idea how little I was walking during the day until I bought a pedometer a couple of years ago. I have owned a couple of pedometers since them and all of them had two things in common. They all only kept track of the number of steps I was taking and they were all pretty inaccurate. They were inaccurate in my favor, giving me more steps than I knew I was taking, but that made it hard to get a good picture of what changes I needed to make in my routine.
For the past week I have been using something new. Something more than a pedometer. Something that not only is more accurate with my step count, but that also tracks the number of floors I have climbed, the miles I have walked, and the calories I have burned. My new tool is a Fitbit Ultra.
If you are feeling like you don't have time to get out and exercise, but want to find a meaningful way to improve your daily activity, this is a great tool to help you do just that. We all need goals and motivation, and the Fitbit Ultra can help you with both. Those extra steps you take when you park farther away from the grocery store or that time you take the stairs instead of the elevator will all go towards your daily step goal. You can track your progress in lots of ways with the FitBit, but my favorite is the flower that grows on the LED screen as you get closer and closer to your daily goals.
In addition to tracking all of your activity during the day, you can continue to wear it at night to track how long and how well you are sleeping. And the best part is that all of the information is transmitted automatically to Fitbit.com. Whenever the Fitbit is withint 15 feet of the base it will upload all of your information. You don't have to do a thing. Tracking your activity is just as easy too. You clip the lightweight device to your pocket, waist, or even on your bra, and press the one and only button on the Fitbit. That is all you have to do to start tracking your steps to a more active and healthy life. If you want even more detailed and accurate results, you can log your weight, food, and type of daily activity too. You can do it directly online or use one of the many apps that Fitbit works with. I don't think something this small could do any more cool stuff.
If you want to start keeping track of your daily activity, leave me a comment and let me know how the Fitbit will help you on your Inspiration to Fitness journey and you will be entered to win one of your own.
Rules:No duplicate comments. You can enter to win up to two (2) times, using any combination of the following methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
The sweepstakes runs from 2/15 - 2/21. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here.
Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers' reviews, find great fitness tips and find more chances to win! You can also click on the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!
73 comments:
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/#!/jennmarie0205/status/169799906377207808
I've been walking/running a lot lately but haven't really had a way to track my progress other than mileage. This would be perfect for my routine to help as I progress each week. The device seems pretty amazing.
It would definitely help me be more conscious about how much exercise I am getting day to day just as a baseline, so that I know how much harder I need to work in order to actually achieve my goals.
What a great device! I know it would help get me up and going more.
Such a neat devise. I'm a new mom trying to figure out what type of exercise routine I can fit into my day and this seems like a managable way to start.
I have been looking at this device for a while and I covet it badly.
Sounds like a pretty cool gadget!
I love this idea, I've been toying with the idea of getting an HRM, never heard of the fitbit until now.
I tweeted https://twitter.com/#!/WhtLghtsWdnsdy/status/169816582804078595
I want to lose this darn baby weight. I'm up, down, and around with my boys all day and I feel I'm not getting exercise in that is making a difference. I'd love to see how many calories I'm actually burning.
This is great! I'm pregnant and trying to keep myself active and in shape by walking during breaks. This would be so nice to log my efforts!
I realized after a 5 mile run when my $6 pedometer said I'd only done 2200 steps that I need a better tracking device!
I'm trying to get back to a healthy place in my life. I love the data this provides and know it would be a great tool to help me reach my goals!
Oo, neato! I've love to win that!
It would help me be more aware of what I actually do during a day. I like to think that I'm fairly active when I can be, but I'm sure there are areas where I'm missing the boat!
I love the option to track your sleep as well. How fantastic.
I love that you can also use it when you are asleep. How fantastic.
I would love to see how much walking around I am really doing. I think I overestimate my activity level. The growing flower thing would totally motivate me!!
This would be very interesting!!
I'm working on adding exercise back into my daily life. I would love to know if my walk is 10,000 steps and how many miles. 10,000 steps a day really does help tone!!
recently lost 20lbs, this would definitely help keep it off and fingers crossed lose some more! It sounds effortless which, let's face it we need more of! Yay!
I am just starting an exercise program- walking- and this would be amazing in letting me know how much I have burned!
It would definitely help me see what I'm doing right and where I could use a bit more help! I've lost 40 lbs. so far and have about 60 lbs. to go to get to my goal!!!I'd love to be able to track and see my progress because it doesn't always show in the mirror right away!
It would definitely help me count every step I take!! Love how small it looks. It looks awesome! Please enter me :)
I know I don't move anywhere near enough. I think the FitBit could help motivate me into moving more. And the whole monitoring my sleep thing? Awesome and scary at the same time. Awesome, because, well, how cool! Scary, because as a mother of 4, I'd bet my sleep is more interrupted than I think.
What a great little device. I'd love to see how all the extras like parking far from the door or trekking around school add up.
accidentally deleted my comment!
This will definitely help me keep track of my miles while running!
I have noticed how much more I eat when I see it all written down. I think this would help me realize how much I'm really moving and sleeping in the same way. It would be a really helpful tool.
What a cool product! I wake about 4 days a week at 3:30 or 4 in the morning with a headache and I never exercise-despite the fact that my mom had a double by pass last year at age 65. This would be such a motivational tool! Maybe I would find out why I wake with these headaches.
SUCH a cool gadget! I'm on a mission to get myself healthy right now and I think this would really help motivate me and help me track my progress!
I blogged about it here- http://deelightfuldeeliciousdeelovely.blogspot.com/2012/02/fitbit.html
what will they think of next, i just use a dum little walking chart, man I could really use this!!!!! great giveaway
Well, it will help me two fold - first... I seem to really only stay asleep for two hours at a time some nights. I am sure there is a reason that I am just not identifying and this would help in that. Second, I have a sedentary computer job... I talk to people online and have to be at the computer. I think it would be extremely helpful to figure out how much activity I actually am getting it, when do I seem to fidget or need the restroom the most, and how I can increase or schedule it.
This seems like a great device! I have yet to find something to accurately track steps and this seems like the perfect tool plus so much more! I've been consciously trying to walk more and be more active, and I think the Fitbit would be a great way to quantify where I'm at and what I can improve.
When I lived in TX, I went to Bootcamp 3x a week and was really fit-then I had to move to a super small town in central Oregon, where winter is a hard thing to deal with-and I have gained 15 lbs in a year and a half! Help! I NEED that Fitbit...
When I lived in TX, I went to Bootcamp 3x a week and was really fit-then I had to move to a super small town in central Oregon, where winter is a hard thing to deal with-and I have gained 15 lbs in a year and a half! Help! I NEED that Fitbit...
Yes please!
This sounds really cool. I am a numbers person for sure, that's how I see my progress, but keeping it all by hand is so inaccurate. This sounds like just the great gadget I need to get that extra push!
This sounds really cool. I am a numbers person for sure, that's how I see my progress, but keeping it all by hand is so inaccurate. This sounds like just the great gadget I need to get that extra push!
Also, tweeted! https://twitter.com/#!/Zizkamaus/status/169928681039474688
I would love to have and use one of these! It's just what I need.
I love that this tracks more than just how many steps you take! I have to wear a pedometer to earn "health cash" at work--and I really wish it could provide me with all this information so I can tell exactly how active I am opposed to the number of steps I've taken.
I tweeted!
https://twitter.com/#!/oowidescrnoo/status/169953854757142528
I would be thrilled to have a fitbit
This would be so awesome to have! Especially at like WDW!! This sounds amazing!
Carrie Funk,
funkcarrie@yahoo.com
I would love to use Fit Bit. It would be great to keep tabs on my progress and be able to challenge myself to do more.
this sounds like a miracle to me. i don't sleep well at all. i would love to better understand what my body is doing at night. in my case, i don't want to write down when i wake because the less i do, the easier it is to try to get back to sleep. i have been trying to get good sleep. that is my step 1 in getting healthier. that should lead to metabolizing my food better and give me more energy to exercise (as opposed to wanting to crawl into bed for a nap). i sure hope to win. thanks for the opportunity. skeime (at) gmail
I need this. I have a birthday next week............just saying. Sounds like a cool little gadget to have. I have used other pedometors before but this sounds like a really useful tool.
This sounds like such a great gadget! Thank you for the givaway.
this would be great because I think seeing an actual number of how long I'm actually sedentary every day (it's a long time) will be an eye opener!
tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/jfong123/status/170088479814979584
I blogged about it, because I realllllly need one! Overweight grandma here needs help!
sorry here's the link
http://davisdialogues.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-will-they-think-of-next.html
What an awesome device!!! I NEED ONE!!!!!
Wow....I love that the flower grows as you are reaching your goal! That's cool, and I am totally motivated by goofy stuff like that! Of course, if it could pinch me when I'm reaching for the cookies, that would be the ultimate, but I guess that would be going too far! lol
I just started running and I think this would help me track my progress!
https://twitter.com/#!/lch2004/status/170193078152478722
Fitbit will help me on your Inspiration to Fitness journey because it's an inspirational piece - it tracks and lets you know your progress. I would LOVE to sync it with my phone and track all my eating and exercising in one place.
This would really help me keep track of my activity. I spend way too much time in front of the computer!
I have a goal of doing at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5x a week so this would be great to help me track my progess. What a cool gadget.
I think keeping track of my steps, etc. will motivate me to move more to "break" wach days record
Started a new job and ALL I do is sit for 8 hours in front of a computer....this device would help me get back on routine with my am workouts, track stairs, etc. Thank you for the opportunity to win this great device!
I'm such a numbers/data person. This device alone would transform my days and further motivate me to lose this baby weight! Fingers crossed for this one!
Fun! I love power walking when I can and this would be a fun new gadget to take with me!
This is awesome!!! I exercise daily, but lately, it's just routine, I don't feel like I'm pushing myself. The FitBit would allow me to not only track my progress, but also motivate me to challenge myself.
I really need something that will track how much I move during the day - I know I don't do nearly enough.
I need all the help I can get with my fitness goals!! I really want this year to be the year that I accomplish something big with my health and fitness.
What a great gadget! I know this would help me to keep up with my progress and encourage me to continue to exercise!
jedoggett@embarqmail.com
tweet https://twitter.com/#!/annedoggett/status/171599897114574848
I was just reading about this handy little gadget. What a great opportunity to incorporate it into my fitness regimen. Currently using My Fitness Pal, which I love! Thanks!
While I use myfitnesspal now, I think this gadget would help me even more!
Also, I gave up elevators for Lent and work on the 5th floor, so I'd love to see how doing those flights a few times a day will impact my fitness goals!
Thanks for the giveaway :)
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