Fitbit: The Right Fit for You Raelyn Fate
The Idea
Fitness and physical health are ideas that have been around a long time. The idea of tracking fitness is not a new one, but Fitbit revolutionizes the concept.
Rather than create a device that just focuses on tracking specific exercise and workout routines, Fitbit tracks everything. Fitbit changes this idea that fitness can only be acquired in the gym and flips it, emphasizing that "fitness is not just about gym time. It's all the time" (Fitbit).
The Mission
"To empower and inspire you to live a healthier, more active life" (Fitbit). That's the overall goal of the Fitbit team.
To make this process both easier and more exciting, they're designing devices that "fit seamlessly into your life so you can achieve your health and fitness goals, whatever they may be" (Fitbit).
Fitbit knows that health and fitness is different for everyone, so they've created a bunch of different devices and ways to use them.
With Fitbit, you truly can find the right fit for you.
The Devices
Fitbit has designed a number of devices, from the simple, clip-on Zip that counts only steps and distance, to the more complex Charge HR that does everything from calculate distance to monitor your sleep.
Fitbits current line of devices includes: The Fitbit One, Zip, Flex, Charge, Charge HR, Surge, and the all new Blaze.
Not sure which device is right for you? Well, Fitbit has provided a simple questionnaire on their website to help you figure this out. Try it out with this link: https://www.fitbit.com/compare
The Software
Once you've decided which device works best for you, all you have to do is download the Fitbit app on you smart phone or other device and you're ready to go.
The Fitbit app lets you really get the most out of your device. After you sync your fitbit to the app, all of the information it's collected will be transferred to the Fitbit app for your analysis.
Some of the things this app can tell you are: how many steps you walked, how many flights of stairs you climbed, total distance traveled, heart-rate, calories burned, and quality of sleep.
Aside from this analysis, the Fitbit app can help you develop a fitness plan unique to you.
Some unique features that can help with this:
- Personalized alarms to remind you of your fitness goals throughout the day.
- Food tracking options that allow you to input your calories consumed by either scanning a food's bar code, searching the item, or putting calories or nutrition information in directly.
- Weight loss plans catered to your specific goals.
- And more!
The Community
One of the greatest things about Fitbit is the huge community of friends and supporters that exist within it. The Fitbit experience focuses on 5 major steps:
- Track
- Sync
- Progress
- Achieve
- Inspire
We've already talked about how your Fitbit device tracks your activity, and syncs to the app, that's the technical stuff. From there, the fun really begins. From the app, you can check your progress, set goals, and decide the best way to achieve them.
After all of this, you can get into one of the greatest aspects of Fitbit, the community. The community gives users a way to motivate and inspire one another to reach their goals. The Fitbit app. does this in a number of ways. Through badges, friends, and messages.
Badges are given to you when you reach certain goals. One of the badges you can get is called the "Penguin March" badge. You get this when you've gone 70 miles total. These fun badges are another fun way of monitoring fitness and encouraging progress.
Another Fitbit feature is the friends list. You can add friends by email, or through Facebook. You can challenge your friends to competitions, see how many steps they've taken this week, and even taunt or cheer them on.
Fitbit is all about making fitness fun. On their website, they've stated, "We believe you're more likely to reach your goals if you're encouraged to have fun, smile, and feel empowered along the way," (Fitbit) and this is exactly what they've done, create a community of happy, encouraging people who can be fit together.
Finally...
If you have even the slightest interest in health, fitness, or even just fun, I would encourage you to check out the Fitbit lifestyle. If you want to join a community, have some fun, and get fit while you're at it, Fitbit just might be the right fit for you.
For more information on product, pricing, and where to purchase, please visit: http://www.fitbit.com
Works Cited:
Fitbit. Fitbit Inc., 2016. Web. 1 March 2016.
Cover Image by Martins Zemlickis