Wednesday, August 16, 2017

RIP, My Jolly Green Giant

The day before we left Wisconsin my Fitbit stopped working.
The top and bottom halves split apart, and even when
pushed back together the device couldn't function.
I wore my Fitbit 24 hours a day for more than two years, so while I treated it well, I can't say its sudden death surprised me. I had grown quite attached to it, however, so when it kicked the bucket I felt both a little sad and a lot naked.

My first instinct was to immediately purchase a replacement, but when I slowed down and considered my options with a clearer head (yes, I had to clear my head after my Fitbit died), I decided that asking around for recommendations before making a purchase would be a better course of action. I narrowed the seemingly endless number of available fitness trackers down to three - the kind I'd had previously along with two others liked by friends - but kept getting hung up on the fact that none of the three (or any I've found thus far) could do everything on my "want" list. So I made another decision...this time to not replace my Fitbit.

At the risk of sounding dramatic, this decision rocked my world. Remember that I wore my Fitbit ALL OF THE TIME for more than two years. I moved it from my pajamas to my workout clothes to my regular clothes and back to my pajamas every day, checking it regularly to make sure I was on track to meet the day's step goal.

Speaking of, my step goals have always been 12,000 steps on weekdays and 10,000 steps on weekends, and in 24+ months of wearing my Fitbit, I met my goal all but eight days. Knowing that, I decided I could go about my daily life - as long as I maintained my regular schedule of walking the kids to and from school, working out at the gym, and going for long walks on the weekend - and still meet those goals. I don't need a Fitbit to tell me I reached 10,000 steps, or that I walked across Japan.

I still reach for my Fitbit multiple times a day, wondering for a split second when I don't feel it clipped to my clothing where I might have taken it off and left it. But with each passing hour, I feel a little less constrained...a little more free.

So RIP, my jolly green giant. You served me well as both a companion and a coach, but the time has come for me to make a go of it on my own. I could use a little more freedom in my life.
Tux will miss my Fitbit too... He used to carry it around while I was
in the shower, and once he managed to accumulate 100 steps for me.

No comments:

Post a Comment