Using Technology to Stay Active: My Fitbit Charge HR

In late 2014 a health scare meant I had to improve my fitness and lower my blood pressure. When I started walking I used a pedometer which recorded my steps each day, and put this into a spreadsheet to record my progress. Mid-last year, to reward myself for getting back into shape, and to help motivate myself to keep going I purchased a Fitbit Charge HR.

Fitbit Charge HR
I went with the HR as it has a buckle on the strap and feels more secure, plus at the time it was on special for the same price as the Fitbit Charge. The HR also records my heart rate.

The battery is charged using the cable supplied via a USB port on my computer, or through a wall adapter, which takes between one and two hours. The charge, however, lasts up to four days. The Fitbit syncs to my smartphone and tablet, via WiFi and Bluetooth. The information it records can also be viewed on the Fitbit website when I log into my account. The only data manually entered is the number of laps I do of the pool three times each week. I was looking for a device that would work in water but have yet to find one that isn’t too bulky looking and will count laps, steps and distance walked.

Personal Goals
¬Something that’s really helped me continue my fitness regimen, is the ability to set personal activity goals on my Fitbit. These can be steps, or distance walked / run, and they can be set on the Fitbit app. When I achieve a goal the Fitbit vibrates on my wrist to notify me. During the winter months I don’t have access to a pool so I make up for it by increasing my steps goal from 10,000 to 13,000 steps per day.

Weight, daily water and food intake can also be recorded on the Fitbit app. This then tells me whether I am drinking enough water and burning more calories than consuming.

The Fitbit also records the number of floors I climb each day. As this is measured by altitude, hills are recorded as floors. It can be inaccurate at times as it’s affected by wind pressure. One day it recorded 40 floors! Our town is fairly flat and buildings don’t exceed two stories, so it was obviously greatly exaggerated.

Notifications
Once a week I receive an email letting me know how I’ve done. Friends with Fitbits can be added with the winner being the person who has the highest step count for the week. Whom amongst us doesn’t like to show off about how fit we are becoming?

Carol Bron, Age Hacker
Find out more about the Fitbit HR at www.fitbit.com/nz/chargehr