I’m not sure how I feel about it all to be sure. I work in the Sporting Goods Industry and I see all kinds of fitness levels all day and have for almost 8 years. The one thing that’s happened within that time is the sub culture that exploded surrounding “fitness”.

With this new trend came special diets, chain letters about what foods to stay away from, weird exercise equipment and of course gadgets.

As personal devices become more popular, the idea of creating a fitness product that did the basics (pedometer function, heart rate, set goals, track food etc) that was attractive enough for people to wear or under stated enough so that it wasn’t annoying and in the way.

While these gadgets were created for people who are mostly in intermediary stage of their fitness progression, I think it’s great for those of us who either have an aversion to going to gyms (because of anxiety or other fears) or who need a bit of encouragement.

A gym buddy is hard to find in Brooklyn so I find myself skipping my trip to the gym simply because I don’t want to drag A. along with me.  I dislike working out alone. You don’t need to be on me but I like to have someone within a shout’s reach from me.

Which brings me to why I think the Fitbit Flex is awesome. (or any similar product)

I opted for black because…I like black and it goes with everything.

The best thing about this for me other than tracking my work outs, how much I’ve walked, how many stairs I’ve climbed etc is that I get encouragement via email. I know, it sounds super lame. Whatever. Judge me.

The other day, I beat a personal goal. I set no such goal; it was just my Fitbit’s way of telling me that in that one day, I walked 10,000 steps but it made me smile and it’s been encouraging me to take the stairs more often and to walk as much as I can. Living in New York city is really great for walking so I’ve got at least that going for me.  It’s become a bit fun to see if I can out do myself without even going to the gym. I average 2-3 miles per day, just walking.

The sleep tracker aspect of this device, I’ve got to say I don’t use much or rather I don’t check the records because it upsets me how much I toss and turn in my sleep. Yes, it tells you when you were restless etc.

It’s great because you really can use it at any level of fitness from slight nonchalance to ‘I lift things up and put them down’ (Don’t get the reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOSeOieLh7s) and currently, the little bit of encouragement helps.

My most recent sync (this is from my phone)

You can check out all the Fit Bit Styles here: http://www.fitbit.com/store
If you have questions about the Flex or other activity tracking watches, don’t hesitate to ask.