According to Statistic Brain (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t believe information coming from a website with a name like that?), the number one New Year’s resolution is ‘lose weight’ and number five is ‘staying fit and healthy’.
As well all know from experience though, it’s pretty easy for resolutions to fall by the wayside. Usually by February. Luckily I’ve found a fabulous little piece of equipment that can help you stay accountable for your health and fitness all throughout the year. It’s called the Fitbit Flex and you may recognize it from my Christmas Gift Guide for Women (although it’s perfect for the men-folk too!). I’ve had the Flex since September last year, been meaning to do this review since November, and finally, here it is in January. [sidenote: ‘work on time management skills’ should have probably been my New Year’s resolution.]
The Fitbit Flex is kind of like wearing a relatively fashionable personal trainer on your wrist, but far lighter and less likely to yell ‘drop and give me 20!’ at you. You can wear it all day and night (including in the shower) and the battery will give you a few days at least, after which you simply attach it to your computer via a charging cable and let it do its thang.
So, what does the Fitbit Flex actually do? Well friend, I’m glad you asked. It’s clearly female, because it multi-tasks like nobody’s business; besides tracking your steps and distance travelled it also takes note of how many calories you’ve burned and how many ‘active minutes’ you’ve had throughout the day. You can set yourself a goal (i.e 15,000 steps) and the little LED lights on the wristband will light up in accordance with your progress against your goal.
Keep it on throughout the night and your Fitbit Flex can also measure the length and quality of your sleep — including how many times you wake up. Plus, it has a silent alarm that vibrates to wake you up, without disturbing your bed buddy!
And where will you find all of this information? Aren’t you just full of questions today! The Flex automatically syncs to your computer (and some Smartphones), so you can access your stats on the Fitbit Dashboard whenever you like. You can log food and workouts, plus link up with friends and compete against each other to see who’s the most active throughout the day! They’ll also email you ‘badges’, which are awards for reaching certain pre-determined goals.
Overall thoughts? If you’re someone who is actively trying to lose weight and move more, this for you. In my experience, people tend to assume they are more active than they really are, and the Flex is an excellent way to make you accountable for your movements . It’s also an excellent tool for those with a competitive streak; one night I found myself walking up and down the apartment before bed, just to ensure I beat the number of daily steps I’d done the night before… keep in mind that I’m a little bit crazy though.
THE FACTS
RRP – $129.95
Available colours – black, blue and pink (I’ve got blue if you want to be twinsies)
What’s included? Tracker, 2 wristbands, charging cable and wireless sync dongle
Where to buy? Online here, plus sports stores, technology stores and more
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