a peek inside the fishbowl

I decided to introduce a new feature in the March issue of Capital Parent Newspaper, an “editor’s picks” column in which I list three items I love enough to recommend to parents across Ottawa. For March I chose Stash peppermint tea, Bare English chapstick, and the FitBit One. It’s the latter that I want to talk about today.

I bought the FitBit in January after seeing some friends post about it online. I thought it would be a good thing to try in regards to that “Treadmill before Facebook” promise I made to myself.

In my column I called the FitBit One a pedometer on steroids. Like other pedometers it tracks steps and distance but this one also tracks sleep quality, flights of stairs taken (among other things), and wirelessly uploads it to my online account in real time.

My goal is to take a minimum of 10,000 steps per day, and if I look back at my fitness history since January there’ve only been two days I didn’t reach that goal.

Here’s why the FitBit has worked for me: it’s a social pedometer. I’ve linked accounts with friends who also have FitBits (Friends with Benefitbits™) and am really enjoying the friendly competition between us all. I have an iPhone app which shows me who’s walked the most number of steps and automatically determines a ranking. (Let it be known I’m usually fourth out of the ten friends I have listed!) The competitive side may not appeal to everyone, but it is a real motivator for me. Plus, I can’t stand the thought of underdelivering. I need to reach that 10,000! As a result the FitBit has caused me to do a number of crazily uncharacteristic things. For example, one evening I was watching TV when I suddenly realized that someone was beating me by a few hundred steps. So I did what many gals would do in my shoes… leap up off the couch and run to the treadmill in order to catch up.

I have a bunch of other tricks that help me squeeze extra steps into each day:

• As per my Treadmill Before Facebook post, I get changed into my gym clothes as soon as I wake up and walk for a minimum of 20 minutes every morning. At the end of my treadmill time I will often round up. (“I’ve done 2600 steps, might as well make it an even 3000!”)
• I make phone calls on the treadmill. Next step: teleconference meetings. :)
• Listening to music while I’m on the treadmill keeps me there longer. Watching a show on my tablet also helps.
• The dog gets longer walks. And if she’s sniffing, I’m pacing.
• I park farther away from the grocery store than usual and return the cart when I’m done unloading the groceries.
• Mini in-house walkabouts – done at a time I’d normally be standing around waiting for something – help me reach my 10,000 steps too. Let’s say my coffee is steeping, which takes five minutes. Instead of catching up with Twitter or staring off into space, I can use that time to walk around the house. Usually I end up walking around the main floor tidying as I go.

(It occurs to me that these are all great ways to get extra steps in your day, regardless of whether you have a FitBit or not.)

Here’s where I have to confess that it drives Mark crazy when I jump up during a commercial break and start pacing around the kitchen. But hey, it’s all in the name of good health, right?

What else do I like about the FitBit? I like the size, the brightness of the screen, and the longevity of the battery. (It comes with a USB charger.)

I don’t like its stair tracking. I don’t think it’s very accurate, but this isn’t a big deal since it’s the mainly the steps I’m concerned about and I’m pretty sure those are being measured accurately. I am worried about losing my FitBit and wonder about potential failure of its pincer grip the more I use it. The FitBit One is not exactly cheap ($99 at places like Chapters and Future Shop) and I’ve already lost it twice: once in the house and once outside when I was getting in the car. It’s a good idea to keep it inside a pocket instead of clipped onto one. It can also be fastened to a bra strap, and given its size it is virtually undetectable.

Overall I’ve been pretty happy with my FitBit so far. It’s kept me engaged, amused, and encourages me to go a little farther each day, one step at a time.

Our day included an outing into the Gatineau Hills. It was pure gorgeousness; warm sun, white snow, blue skies. Heavenly serenity.

This was my view on the way back to the car, along the Parkway:

We followed an easy trail, marked no.5. It was good, although I was mildly annoyed at the overall lack of signage and wayfinding. (I do like to know where I’m going and how long it will take me to get there.)

Also: I only wiped out once, and the only thing that was damaged was my pride.

How was your Family Day?

I’m one lunch away from 600 lunches! I wanted to post number 599 here because it involves a salad dressing that is too good not to share. It only take a couple of minutes to make, and beats the bottled stuff by a mile. This one is great on spinach and strawberries. You can add some diced chicken to this combo to make it a stellar dinner.

Poppy seed dressing

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil

All you do is combine all of the ingredients in a large measuring cup. That’s it!