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What can I say, I could ask for anything this Christmas and I opted for something that most people would think is insane: a Fitbit Charge.
I have been fluctuating by 2-3 lbs for the past several years. I noticed that once I hit the big 4-0, I couldn’t keep it off.
A couple of my friends were discussing their Fitbit on their Facebook pages and I decided to do a little research. The research didn’t give me more than that it acts like a pedometer and tracks your sleeping pattern.
When I got it, I couldn’t believe how much more it does.
I found that at times it will undercount my steps and to be honest, I’m okay with that.
Counting Steps
I love that Fitbit tracks your steps. Skeptics will always ask, “But how accurate is it?” The website will tell you that they are working on making it as accurate as possible all the time.
Keep this in mind: if on your wrist and you are pushing a shopping cart or riding a bike, it will not accurately log your steps. The natural motion of your arm is what does and while doing those activities your arm is static. I always opt for wearing the wristband on my tennis shoe at those moments, so I get accurate steps.
Fitbit has many products, and they can be worn in different places. I preferred the Fitbit Charge because it acts like a watch and gives me the benefit of seeing my step count without having to look at a computer or mobile phone.
Sleep Patterns
Keeping track of my sleep patterns was another benefit that I love. Since I got married, my Husband pointed out that I snore. I started to wonder if the snoring was waking me up at night and if I should go see a Doctor about it. After going to the Doctor they weren’t concerned, so I was excited to see what Fitbit would show me.
You can choose from two settings for sleep sensitivity: normal or sensitive. I personally use normal but tried sensitive for one night and the pattern was crazy. I learned that I move my left arm a lot while I sleep.
Below is a graph example that gives me my results from sleeping.
Sleep pattern
Not too restless last night, I exercised like crazy, so I sleep pretty soundly.
Call Notification and Silent Alarm
Another fun feature is the call notification. There have been times when I have had my phone tucked away in my purse and it’s starts to ring. My purse is a disaster area so it never fails that I scrounge for it and miss the call. With the call notification feature, I can see who is calling on my wrist and then decide if that person is worth the effort. Sad, but true.
The silent alarm is another feature I take advantage of. You can set your Fitbit to vibrate at specific times. Because you wear it to bed for monitoring sleep, it makes an excellent non-noisy alarm. I have never slept through it so it works like a charm. You can set the alarm for anything you want, I personally like to use it as a wake-up alarm.
Fitbit Website
The website it what brings everything together. I am such a graph freak. If you can place any information in a graph format, I am all over it. I love the tiles that keep me updated, with how many calories I have burned, steps I have taken and calories I have consumed. When I was researching fitness devices, everyone pretty much said that Fitbit was the best designed site and provided so much useful information (and GRAPHS!).
Another item, that costs extra, and I totally love, is the Fitbit Premium membership. The membership provides you with a Fitbit Trainer that helps you meet your goals by taking into account what you have done fitness wise, and coming up with a fitness plan. I originally signed up for the trainer aspect but have fallen in love with the food report, I am totally aware of what I am eating too much and little of as I log in all my food intake. Fitbit offers you a free trial period of the premium membership, I would recommend doing that after you have about 12 weeks of logged activity to see how awesome the graphs are.
Fitbit App
What can I say about the Fitbit App. Everything is with you all the time. The Fitbit App is probably what I use the most. In it I am able to track any walking or running I do, everything I eat, and I accept challenges with other Fitbit users.
Food Log
The food log is a wonderful feature on the site and the app. Because like many others, my smartphone is always with me, I log in my food intake. The food log already has preloaded choices that Fitbit provides and users have submitted to Fitbit by taking pictures of the product and sending them to add to their database. The log function also lets you scan the proof of purchase so it can find it for you and all you have to do is choose the serving size. Because you provided Fitbit with your weight, height and goals you have set for yourself, the food log lets you know if you are below, on or above your food intake for the day.
Exercise Log
The exercise log, does a wonderful job of keeping track of all your active minutes throughout the day. The app has a built-in GPS that will keep track of your walking or running minutes. Unfortunately, it doesn’t keep track of other activities, like gym classes and other equipment you use. I find that the best way to keep track of this is to log that information into another app that shares the information with Fitbit.
The app is My Fitness Pal. I am able to keep track of the classes I take, the gym equipment I use, and all the strength training I do (reps and lbs I use).
Challenges
This feature is one of my Fitbit Friends’ favorite. Fitbit provides you with challenges to keep you motivated and to let your competitive side make you get up and go. They’re different challenges you can choose from, and you invite your friends to join in on the fun. Your friends have their daily step goal visible so you can choose friends who are trying to meet step goals that correspond with yours, or you can choose friends that are well above you so that you get yourself moving. The challenges let you taunt and cheer your friends, send messages, and before you know it, you are making new friends and getting fit at the same time.
Badges
Another fun feature is that Fitbit rewards you with badges on your journey. They’re badges for completing daily milestones and for taking steps that accumulate over time. A little way to reward you for taking care of yourself.
Conclusion
I love my Fitbit and would buy another in a heartbeat. Make sure to do your research, some of the Fitbits don’t monitorsleep, and they released a Fitbit that does monitor your heart rate, a more accurate way of keeping track of calories burned.
Thank you and enjoy your Fitbit as much as I do.
Update 2025 – The Fitbit Charge I bought is no longer available. Links are for the Fitbit Charge 2.
Acting Out Mama!
Isabel Natera 