Gear Report: FitBit Flex

Winter break is over...as you can probably tell by the lack of posts this week. I ended the break with a leisurely 9 mile run on Monday night. During, I listened to NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and laughed the entire run. I'm sure I convinced some drivers that running can be fun!

My new not-so-secret weapon against boredom on a long run. I didn't even notice I was running half the time!

Since getting the FitBit Flex, I've been wearing it diligently so that I could write a full review. The review itself will be short, because once you get into using the FitBit, you figure out pretty quickly if it's right for you.

FitBit sends out a weekly report that's easy to read and very motivational.

Pros:

Comfortable to wear

Waterproof

 Fairly accurate for a wrist-worn pedometer

Easy data input

Simple to use

Effective silent alarm

Cons:

Diet plan can't be deleted, only edited - no fail-safe

A little bulky for everyday wear

Can't replace a watch (although the upgraded version can)

Finding friends is tricky - no basic search

Doesn't track calories burned in stationary exercise

Recommendation: If you're someone who needs to hold yourself accountable and are trying to lose weight, I definitely recommend the FitBit. Inputting daily meals and water consumption is easy. Setting up a meal-plan is easy, but there's no fail-safe...If you want to cut your caloric intake to 500 calories a day, the app will let you do so and gently chastise you when you go over.

I'm not a big fan of the red X

I loved tracking my water intake, but when I created a meal-plan to experiment with it, I quickly realized I'd be too likely to become obsessed. (I circumvented this issue by changing my desired weight to match my current weight, which allows me to just ignore the recommended calorie count for the day.)

Bottom-line: I'll continue to use the FitBit Flex to track water, use the alarm, and track my runs, but I don't intend to use it for monitoring my meals.

In other news, I'm staying accountable and on top of my resolutions! Last week was NTC; this week I got back into the gym. I spent some time on the stair-stepper while Matt rowed beside me (and took this awesome pic), then lifted heavy (for me!).

Runner no-no...I wore my running shoes to the gym & didn't run!

I'm looking forward to seeing my runs improve as I work on my body as a whole.

Thoughts or questions on the FitBit?
How was your first week of the new year?
Do you ever listen to podcasts on the run? What's your favorite?

ABK