Today’s Run:  Rest Day

For Christmas, my daughter bought a FitBit for my husband and myself.  We have discussed the FitBit in a previous post.  Today I want to mention the incentives that go along with the FitBit.

The FitBit sets daily “steps taken” goals for you to attain throughout the course of each day.  As you accumulate steps, you earn badges.

The first and easiest badge to achieve is the 5,000 step award.  It is an easy one to earn because a person only has to walk around the house doing various odds and ends to receive it.  The daily goal for the majority of people, though, is the 10,000 step badge.  To receive this badge you must take 10,000 steps throughout the course of the day.  If you keep moving during the day, this is a do-able goal.  You have to keep moving though.  No watching TV and eating chips.  You have to keep moving.

The badges keep moving up by 5,000 step increments.  The highest step badge I have earned in one day is a 35,000 step badge.  That was a day that I ran a half marathon.

The other badges you can earn are Lifetime Distance Awards.  These are more difficult to receive.  I did not even know about them until I earned my first one.  It was for having walked 50 miles.  This past week I received my 250 mile award.  The next one I am eligible for is the 500 mile award and I expect it will be a while before I get that one.

There are pie graphs depicting your time active for the day:  sedentary, lightly active, fairly active and very active.  I like graphs.

You can also make friends.  You are able to challenge your friends and they are also able to challenge you!  You can cheer them on and they can cheer you on and send little messages (like a tweet).

The best thing about FitBit is that it syncs with MyFitnessPal (MFP).  Since I have been active on MFP (for almost a year), it did not seem like a fun thing to have to relocate all my activity but since I can have them talk to each other, well that is a win-win situation!  Cool Beans AND Chilled Legumes!!!