I remember trying to use a pedometer before a run. I couldn’t even figure out how to set it! Then there was the watch to measure my heart rate as I exercised. I decided to just go it alone.
But now a new gadget called Fitbit Ultra, may change all that.
Selling for $99.95, Stephanie Rosenbloom at The New York Times tried the device, which she described as “a pedometer for Type A baby boomers, showing steps taken, miles walked, calories burned and stairs climbed.”
The best part? It streams congratulations when you’ve accomplished your goal, whether it’s taking three flights of stairs or running a marathon, or maybe, as in my case, just around the block. Rosenbloom reports that it tells her, “Vamos, Stephanie” and “You rock, Stephanie.”
Who wouldn’t do some exercise just for that?
Fitbit Ultra joins a crowded arena of sports gadgets and apps. Jawbone came out in November with a wristband and app that tracks your diet and weight, along with your exercise. And Garmin in October introduced an app that tracks your heart rate and rhythm while running or jogging that automatically syncs with its Connect online portal to keep a record of your goals.
With Fitbit, “you can wirelessly sync the device with your computer and see detailed graphs of how active you are each moment of the day,” Rosenbloom writes. You can even keep track of how much you weigh and sleep, how you feel and what you eat (though Rosenbloom admits “the calorie counter is clunky”).
Fitbit also assigns goals, like climbing six sets of stairs or walking 10,000 steps a day, for those who’d prefer not to have to measure their goals in running or cycling. And if you’re the boastful type, you’ll even get “virtual badges,” Rosenbloom reports, “which you can share on Twitter, Facebook and fitbit.com.”
Edited by
Jennifer Russell
