Dear Mr Fitbit designer, I have one small complaint ...

Fitbit joined my life, our lives, after the red-coated-reindeer-led-bearded-one left his deliveries under our Christmas tree last year. One Fitbit for me, one Fitbit for MLP and … our lives changed, our language changed, our fitness changed.

There she is. Mine. Dutifully telling me the time. What I do like, though, is that she doesn't ALWAYS tell me the time ... only when I flick my wrist or push her little button.

This suits me why? Well, the day I finished work, way back in the annals of time, I took off my watch and never put it back on. My token gesture.

F.R.E.E.D.O.M.

In my retired state, (Yes, it is wonderful for those of you who were about to ask.) I have no desire to know the time, to keep to a timetable, to meet deadlines. Somedays, I find it hard to remember what day it is, let alone be concerned about the time.

Anyways, back to little Miss Fitbit.

It took me a wee while to get used to having something hugging my wrist again, but she and I are now comfortable with each other. Happy in each other's company. Soul mates … wrist mates maybe.

She tells me lots of things other than the time.

How many steps I've taken.

Not very many yet today.

My heart rate. How many kilometres I've walked. How many calories I've burned. How many floors I've climbed. My sleep pattern.

Wow, am I bad at sleeping! Never used to be, but ooooh, look at that pattern of restlessness and awake times. Maybe I need to do something about that.

You can see she's a wealth of information.

So how has this … have these … little additions changed our lives?

1. COMPETITION.

Oh yeah, baby. We may have become the teeniest bit competitive.

While we were away at Lake Tyers on holidays, (You can read about that little adventure here.) MLP recorded this ...

86 floors!!!!

He went a bit nuts. He'd walked with my bird-watching brother in the morning and then with me in the afternoon. These stairs were what gave him his 86 floors. Up and down. Up and down. Nuts!

2. LANGUAGE.

Our normal afternoon ritual when MLP comes home from work now begins with …

"Heellloooo."
"Hello."
"13.3."
"What! … 13.3!"
"Yep."
"Oh, I'm only at 8.6."

Romantic, isn't it?

Our after dinner ramblings sound like …

"I just need another 2 to get to 10, so I'm just going up to the park and back. Want to join me?"
"No, my wrist just went off, so I'm fine." (Yes, Fitbit sends a little vibration through our wrists when we hit 10,000 steps in a day. Exciting.)

3. ATTITUDE & AWARENESS.

We're walking a lot more than previously.

I walk out, down and around the lake to hunter-gather a few supplies from Woolieworths. I walk out, down and around the lake to yoga. We walk out, down and around the lake for breakfast or coffee on a Saturday or Sunday morning.

I have even bought an old-lady-style shopping trolley (which I am about to Libby-fy) so I can convey my hunter-gatherer supplies home.

I park at the outer edge of the car park to squeeze in a few more steps. Yes, that's me. I'm that crazy woman.

We take the steps. We always did, but now we do it for our Fitbit to record floors climbed.

4. FITNESS.

Are we feeling fitter?

Yes, definitely.

Previously, I was swimming twice a week, as per my 2015 New Year resolutions, and which I intend to continue, but I was doing no weight bearing exercise of any significance until I started yoga late last year. (Remember my yoga retreat in Bali last year? Heaven.)

So, hopefully, combining the impact of Miss Fitbit, yoga and swimming, I should be fitter.

MLP is fitter. No doubt. He's walking himself into a new level of fitness.

But, I hear you say, what is this complaint you mentioned way back earlier in this blog post?

W-e-l-l.

My complaint is real and valid and important.

This is what my little Miss Fitbit showed on Wednesday this week.

See that zero active minutes? That's my complaint.

Yes, I know, I didn't do very many steps that day. Ignore that, just look at the zero active minutes.

I cleaned shower screens, cleaned baths, cleaned ovens until the sweat ran down my forehead for ZERO ACTIVE MINUTES!!!! There's got to be some mistake. It certainly didn't feel like zero active minutes.

A little bit of searching around Miss Fitbit's App and I find "Active Minutes" are "periods of moderate activity done for 10 minutes or more." So, it seems that my cleaning marathon wasn't continuous enough for Miss Fitbit to record it. HUH!

Obviously this App was designed by someone who's never cleaned a shower screen, bath or oven.

Complaint number two.

Yes, I know, I said one small complaint, but I've realised I have a second one.

I can't wear Miss Fitbit when I swim. So, guess what … swimming for a kilometre will be … zero active minutes as well. HUH! Again.

But, regardless, overall, I'm very happy with how Miss Fitbit has changed my life … our lives.

I feel better, stronger, happier with myself for being soooo good.

Are you a Fitbit convert too?

Any complaints about your Fitbit to add to my list?

Do you think all this Fitbit gizmo stuff is hoo-haa?

Are you in the throes of racing out the door to buy one?

Let me know by leaving me a comment.

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