Surfing the internet this afternoon and noticed I had earned my Great Wall of China badge on fitbit. This means I have logged more than 5,500 miles, or roughly the distance of the Great Wall of China. I have earned all kinds of badges from fitbit and get a kick out of doing it.
There has been a lot of news about these step trackers on the television lately, and the big argument seems to be how accurate they are in counting calories. Apparently if you walk a measured mile on your treadmill, it may not come out as exactly a mile on your step tracker. Personally, I don’t care about calories or miles on my fitbit. What I care about is steps, and the tracker is very accurate on steps, and on stair climbed.
My personal goal is 10,000 steps a day. This is really the only number that matters to me. One story I read knocked fans of fitbit for walking around their homes before bedtime to make their goals, and how compulsive they are about it. Well, damn it, that is the point. I must admit I walk around the block late at night to hit my goal. I am getting exercise I would not get if I didn’t have the fitbit. I am obsessed with walking 10,000 steps every day, and if I don’t get it, I feel bad.
Every night I check my numbers to make sure I get 10,000 steps, and am averaging 10,000 steps for the week, month and year. There is no worse feeling than forgetting your counter when on a long walk, or losing it, which I did recently. Bought a new one the next morning. I can tell you how many steps it is from the station to my house, on a lap around the mall, and on the several courses through the hills that I walk. It is great and I feel better than I have in years.
