Sunday, September 9, 2018

Fitbit Funeral

My two and a half year old Fitbit Flex has quit working.  It is fully charged, but is no longer counting my steps. When I bought it, it was the least expensive, most basic model and is no longer being made.  


I've enjoyed the challenge of getting to 10,000 steps every day and the thrill of seeing 30,000 or more steps register on my sight seeing days.  


Ten thousand steps a day seems to be the arbitrary number of daily steps to strive for.  Do you know where that number comes from?  Japan!  In the 1960's a research team from Kyushu University investigated and discovered that the average Japanese person took between 3,500 and 5,000 steps a day. They thought that if people increased their daily step count to 10,000, they could decrease their risk of coronary artery disease.  This number became a successful marketing campaign. To capitalize on the popularity of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the Yamasa Company designed the first wearable step-counter, called the manpo-kei, which translates to 10,000- step meter!



I'm up in the air now about getting a new, better Fitbit model or just letting it go. It is fun, not so expensive, and doesn't take up much space.  But, I don't really need it, and sometimes it is a distraction - checking it, keeping it charged, etc.  I think I'll go fitbit-less for a little while and see how much I miss it.  


What about you - do you have a fitbit or some other type of gadget?  If I do decide to get something new, do you have a recommendation?

9 comments:

Miranda said...

I have a FitBit Alta HR, am very happy with it. Wanted a smaller FitBit. :) Started with a cheap knock-off last July, to make sure I liked having something like that, before upgrading for the higher quality (both device and software) in February.

If you only care about the pedometer aspect of it, could try a cheaper alternative, I think there are lots of pedometer options. This is the FitBit knock-off I tried, if you're interested, though I'm sure there are many other options: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MSWJI55/

Anonymous said...

Hi Pamela I didn't have much luck with my Fitbit I got mine using my flybuys points and I had so much trouble taking it off and putting it on after my shower,as I found wearing it in the shower it would stop working for awhile,so I gave up in the end,lol,good luck with choosing what to do xx

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Well, you'll have to go without for at least 3 weeks to break the habit to see if you REALLY miss it. I tried a pedometer once and was so discouraged to know how few steps I actually walked each day. In my younger days I used to walk a lot, but now not so much. interesting info on how the 10,000 steps originated.
xx, Carol

Sarah said...

I LOVE my Fitbit Charge 2. I charge it while I shower, enjoy the “buzzes” to wake up in the morning and go to bed at night. You can set alarms and it will even show reminders or ph calls when synched to ur smartphone. And it’s my watch as I only wanted one gadget. The Charge 2 tracks heartrate, steps, miles, stair flights and sleeping and has hourly reminders to move a little more. Many of the features can be modified or turned off. Could I live without it? Probably but as my second Fitbit watch over the last 3 years, I don’t want to. I enjoy the challenge of besting yesterday.

Christine said...

My basic fitbit flex died on me recently. I went on their on-line help to ask if there was a way to fix it and they gave me a code for a free replacement. Fabulous customer service as it was over 3 years old. You might want to give it a try

Jeanie said...

Your not the first to say that has happened. Have you tried the customer line to see if they can help? Hope so.

D1-D2 said...

I was thinking about getting one when my company gave all employees a free fitbit flex. I use it to monitor sleep but don't really pay attention to it otherwise. It was good at the beginning as it used to vibrate to remind me to get up and move but it doesn't do that anymore. It does get annoying having to remember to charge it.

Leonore Winterer said...

The only step counter I have is the one that came with one of the pokémon games, but I've been thinking about getting a smart watch...one of those that remind you to get up every now and then when working sitting down.

geeky Heather said...

I had a Flex, too, and thus would periodically happen. Have you tried resetting it? (From fitbit's website):
How to restart your Fitbit Flex
Plug your charging cable into your computer.
Plug your Flex into the charging cable.
Insert a paperclip into the small pinhole on the back of the charger.
Hold down the paperclip for 3-5 seconds.
Unplug the Flex form the charging cable.

I'd give you my old one bit I'm not sure how much shipping to Japan would be! I have an Alta HR now and I love it because it's not much bigger than the Flex was but it tells time and bugs me every hour if I haven't gone 250 steps.