Does the “Fitbit” Foster Compliance?

I consider myself a bit lazy, both mentally and physically.

Do I want to go out on a run with you this morning? No, I do not. I would rather sit here on the couch and find something more constructive to do with my time. I will drag myself to the gym several times a week, but man, this is getting appreciably harder to do the older I get.

I am typically the last person in my peer group to try the latest new gadget, app, or online site. I honestly have no idea what most of the Millennials are using online nowadays to communicate and bully each other with. Facebook isn’t still the main means of communication for hipsters? That’s new to me……

A “Fitbit” was literally dumped on my lap last month as a gift from my spouse. I looked at this wrist watch contraption with skepticism. What in the heck am I going to do with this? Just because everybody has one and won’t shut up about how fun and motivational it is doesn’t mean that I need to jump off that bridge as well. At least it gives the correct time, and I do need to save face by appearing to be engaged with this device, at least for a while.

It has been six (6) weeks since I have started wearing the Fitbit watch, and I must say that this little doo-dad is motivating me in ways that I cannot yet fully understand. I rarely take it off. I check it nearly hourly. Although I am lazy, I do like information, and lots of it. The Fitbit delivers in this respect, and what I am finding is that the more information I have, the more motivated I am becoming with exercise.

When I configured my Fitbit, it gathered my basic information and gave me some baseline readings. I now know my resting heartrate and how many steps I am taking on any given day. What I didn’t expect was to get detailed information on my sleep patterns, and an assessment on my overall cardiac fitness based on my gender and age. After the first week of using the Fitbit, I was informed that my cardiac fitness was “average-to-good.”

This did not sit well with me. I am not average-to-good. Time to get to work.

I am now in the process of racing one of my employees and one of my patients through a virtual reality version of the New York City Marathon.

This Fitbit is indeed clever. You can see from the photo that I am currently ahead of my opponents and hauling ass somewhere through Brooklyn? Yes, I am fully aware that this is a made-up race, and I am actually sitting out at my house in West Virginia, but for some reason deep in the recesses of my mind, I am motivated to beat these ladies. I want to taunt them. This is fun, and I am exercising????

Does this Fitbit foster compliance? I cannot say that this would work for everyone, but in my case, the answer is a resounding YES! Later today we will be going to a wine tasting down at the bottom of the mountain. Normally, I would insist on driving, but you can bet the farm that I will be walking to and from this venue. My street cred is on the line.

By the way, Fitbit just re-assessed my cardiac fitness level. I have been promoted from “average-to-good” to plain old “good.” Yeah, buddy!