As discussed in this and this post, I was asked to participate in a “New Year New You” campaign with BlogHer and Best Buy. I have been asked to test out a few items to help me with my new goals for this year and have also been provided with (you too!) the advice of a personal trainer/dietician, found here. I will be blogging all about it on ‘Make It and Love It’ during January and February. (All related posts can be found here.) Join with me and healthy up that body of yours too! -Ashley
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Oooooooh, are you ready for another really great gadget? I know I have been showing you so many lately … but I’ve just been so excited about it all. It’s been keeping me motivated. And healthy. And happy. I’m hoping with all of this exercise goodness, you can maybe see what fits with your lifestyle and motivation best. And then go with it.
This particular gadget may cause you to start competing with yourself, trying to improve your numbers and stats. Well, at least it has for me. And as far as I’m concerned, any little tool or gadget that will motivate me to make good health choices (and compete with myself to improve each day), is worth every penny.
Best Buy sent me the FitBit Ultra to test out. The FitBit is like a personal trainer (without the gym membership) that collects data about your daily activities, such as exercise intensity levels, calories burned, sleep quality, steps and distance. The collected data is automatically uploaded to your personal Fitbit website where you can track your progress towards personal goals.
Here’s what arrived in the box.
This little guy is small and sleek, no bigger than a blue tooth.
You can place your FitBit in your pocket on your waistband, your shirt collar, etc. But I guess the most popular place for women, is right on their bra. And that’s where I put mine…..because sometimes I don’t have pockets and I don’t want it poking out on my waistband.
However, if you want to clip it to your waistband, they send along a little holder that that you slide it into, which allows for thicker waistbands that may include a belt.
Anyway, yeah there are tons of pedometers out there and yeah, most of them work pretty well. But most are pretty one dimensional.
The FitBit uses motion sensor technology (just like the Nintendo Wii remote) and measures your motion all day long. The Fitbit accurately tracks your physical activity, steps taken, distance traveled, and calories burned.
It also measures your sleep quality. What? Yeah. You just slide your little FitBit onto this wrist band (which is soft and non-buggy at all) and hop in bed. Then simply hold the button down for 3 seconds, which will put device in sleep mode. The Fitbit will track your total sleep time as well as how much movement you had while sleeping and how many times you woke up. Then it will analyze your information and give you a report of your overall sleep quality for that night. Pretty. Darn. Cool.
To charge your FitBit, just place it right into the docking station (that’s connected to your computer through a USB cable) and one charge will last 10 days … and only takes 90 minutes to charge. And any time you’re within 15 feet of the docking station, your FitBit will automatically transfer your information right over to your online account.
What do you do with all of this information?
Well, you can track your progress, set goals for yourself, try and beat your best scores, etc. You can also see what your slow days are like, figure out why you were so sedentary that day…..and then make some changes. Okay, and you can also do a whole lot more. There’s everything you can think of on your online account, keeping you right on track.
You can even access your information on your iphone or droid phones and always keep tracking.
The overall goal of the Fitbit is to make you more aware of your daily activity and promote you to live a more active lifestyle. And that results in a healthier you.
Pretty neat little gadget, if you ask me.
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Would you like the chance to win your very own FitBit?
!!!!!!Giveaway Closed!!!!!!
All you have to do is leave a comment letting me know if you try to park far away or take the steps or other proactive things to increase your physical activity during the day. Here are the rules.
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry 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.
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.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/15- 2/21.
Also be sure to visit the Inspiration to Fitness page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews, get great fitness tips and find more chances to win! You can also roll over the Best Buy image at the top of my blog to view a calendar of all the Inspiration to Fitness content. Good luck!
Best Buy does not sponsor, endorse, approve, or have any responsibility for this promotion.
Hi, I’m Ashley—the DIY-enthusiast behind this crazy blog!
