Saturday, July 1, 2017

FITBIT – an additional conscience



Up front, let me assure you that this is not an advertisement for Fitbit or any similar products (they should be that lucky, huh?) It’s more so a metaphor for what I want to tell you. It’s like using a product name we have accepted as a term for common things we do. When tears and noses are running, we more so ask for a Kleenex, than using its real name: paper tissue; if you ask me, ‘paper tissue’ sounds kind of wimpy, doesn’t it? But on with the ‘additional conscience’ bit…

Though I’m already up to my armpits with daily reminders, using a multitude of calendars, notices, alarms, aide memoire and surely way too many gadgets on top of that, I have fully accepted that if it helps me achieve what I want to achieve by this kind of planning, scheduling and settings, it’s heading in the right direction; I’m so on it – neither shame nor embarrassment involved.

We have had a family dog for over 21+ years. No, not the same dog, duh…; two, if you really need to know - one at a time. As we are good dog-owners, we have always walked these lovely pets twice daily, come rain or come shine (how poetic). These days it’s Tess, just about the most loving pet anybody could be lucky enough to have around – seriously.

As I’m retired, but obviously still a swell guy, I can of course take the time walking Tess. My wife is working three days weekly, so I get to do both runs those days and of course more during the additional days. I do 8am and 4pm walks, approximately. At times I’m too busy with other stuff or not really in the mood to walk her, but that’s when the gadget stuff sets in and helps out.

I haven’t figured it out yet, and perhaps I never will, but how the heck does the dog know when it’s time to walk? She shows up in front of me wherever I’ll be and start staring me down at 8am and at 4pm. When the sweetest dog ever is looking at you with those big brown eyes and her ears half-cocked, your heart melts and you quickly grab the leash, iPod, sunglasses, keys and off we go.

At times I have a bunch of stuff on my daily duties, things that must be accomplished, that I cheat Tess with a much shorter walk. I seriously believe that she notices, but she never complaints. I do make sure that one of those blue pooh-pooh plastic-bags (Yuk) is filled before we head home, I mean, fair is fair - and then I met Fitbit…

A friend of ours showed up one day with this ‘thing’ in her pocket, telling us that she was following her steps, the daily distances she walked; the results also available on her smart-phone. Of course I immediately discarded it as stupid; I’m very good and utterly effective condemning a lot of ‘new’ things before I know anything about them – saves time. But seriously, why the heck would I like to know how many steps I take every day?

But then I got to think (another dizzying experience). Perhaps it would be cool to know how far I walked daily, especially with the dog. I mean, I’ve always marked down how many walks I did with Tess, so why not mark down the distances as well?
So I got one of the cheaper models (yes, it was a Fitbit) and started to keep an eye on how far I walked daily, weekly, monthly and altogether. It was eye-opening information, because I had never known – at all. Rather quickly I became a lot more serious about pursuing and tracking my walking and running (nah, just walking – I still hate running).

During the approximately two years plus I have kept track so far, I have done 6,182,157 steps (so of course I’m tired) which translates into 2,960 miles or    4,736 kilometers; not too bad, huh? But wait, there’s more…

A couple of month ago I looked at the newest Fitbit gadget thing and bought it. The old one had spent all its time in my left pocket, but this new model is worn around my left wrist, except when I shower (which is once a week, but only if needed – ha ha), otherwise all the time. It not only register my steps and distances, but advises me of my heart-rate, exercise and sleep patterns, stuff that I thought would be silly to acknowledge – but now I don’t think is silly at all, really. I also get ‘vibrations’ when I receive SMS’, emails and phone-calls, so I fully know who I’m ignoring, as I am not one to carry my mobile phone around all the time – far from. Last but certainly not least, it also gives out sharp and painful vibrating warning when my bladder is ¾ full and it’s time to go pee-pee… Nah, only kidding – but it would be very convenient, don’t you think?

But here’s where this gadget thing comes in even more appropriate. As I am somewhat a slave of and dependent on my scheduled daily tasks, I find that the additional encouragement I get from the step-goals I have set at 8,000 steps daily, is a huge help concerning getting my ass in gear, out of the seat and get them legs pumping, if I feel like it or not. So it’s not only the dog staring me down anymore, but my raw determination to at least reach those 8,000 steps – and it’s working.

I have even arrived at the point where I want to beat previous ‘records’ and as long as it doesn’t kill me (duh) it’s rather fun. Fitbit emails the past week’s results and that also encourage me to do even better. I’m up to about 30-33 miles a week, which of course explains why the dog looks so utterly exhausted. Perhaps Tess will end up begging me not to take her with me every bloody time I grab the leash – could happen; nah, she lives for our walkie-walkies…

At times I dread exercising, doing that daily fitness thing with weights and stuff, as I also at times dread doing the walking thing. But I have yet again come to the conclusion that of course it’s good for me (and the dog). While walking the dog, I ‘arrange’ my day and know in what order to do things by the time we return home. I also listen to music on my iPod, yes, still using some big old head-phones for the best bass quality sound, of course – a bit of an old-fashioned look , but I’m 71, utterly happy, so give me a darn break, please.

No matter how strong and disciplined we think we are, we all need to be notched along at times, encouraged and pushed a bit from the outside world. It’s a lot easier ‘not to do’ than it is ‘to do’, so that’s where we especially need and should accept help, some additional conscience. Also remember, that ‘to do’ is in most cases a heck of a lot funner… the minute we get going with it…

I have a thing around my left wrist that is helping in that department and helping extremely well, more than I ever expected it would. Of course I’m still waiting for the advanced model that will vibrate a ‘your-bladder-is-nearly-full’ warning – it would be a relief to get one of those; if you have a bladder, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Sorry, gotta run, actually walk – the dog is staring me down yet again and I need another 1,700 steps to reach 8,000 today, according to the additional conscience on my left wrist…

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