Tech Talk: How My Fitbit Improved My Parenting
Moms! This little thing is going to change how you parent. Hang with me for a bit before I tell you how!
Fitbits have been around for a few years now. At first it was amazing that this little device would count your steps. Be honest: how many of you were jogging in your living room trying to beat your sister-in-law’s steps? A few years ago, I bought one, used it for one month and then promptly returned it. I could tell it was going to be a flash in the pan for me. It wasn’t going to have staying power to keep me active.
So when I found myself two months postpartum with my fourth baby and wanting a Fitbit, I knew I’d have some ‘splaining to do to my husband, I Love Lucy style!
In my defense, they have really upped the game in the Fitbit department. These little devices can do so much more than count steps. I also really liked working out with a heart rate monitor back before I had kids, and tracking my heart rate seemed important.
AND it tracks your sleep! I have chronic sleep issues, some related to having a baby every two years and some I’ve dealt with for most of my life. It’s really neat to be able to see exactly what your sleep pattern looks like.
Paleeeeeze … I asked my husband.
He was fairly unmoved. And in his defense, I do kind of get excited about things and then forget about them quickly after I’ve indulged in my fabulous new idea … just like I did with my first Fitbit!
So I made him a bargain. I sold some things and I waited to find a steal of a deal on the Facebook marketplace. And my patience paid off! While a new Fitbit Blaze is about $200, I snagged a barely used one for $80! Wahoo!
Now to the parenting wonder help I promised! Here’s the coolest thing about the Fitbit Blaze … it liberates you from your phone. I didn’t even know I needed to be liberated from my phone! Okay … well … I suspected it but I didn’t realize that the majority of the time I tap my phone is to check for calls and text messages. And then once I’m on there to see if anyone I love has said anything urgent, a noble cause to be sure, well then I casually scroll for 5-10 minutes of mindless Facebook, news, and email browsing.
Since the Fitbit Blaze alerts you when you receive a text message or a phone call, you don’t need to check your phone. YOU DON’T NEED TO CHECK YOUR PHONE!
Copyright 2017 Sterling Jaquith. All rights reserved.
It’s amazing! I leave my phone on the kitchen counter and I just live in my own home without a cell phone leash. I don’t wonder if someone has texted or called, which doesn’t happen very often, by the way, for all the incessant checking I used to do.
Yes, it does count my steps. That’s a little cool. It does track my sleep; that’s pretty cool. But most of all, it has given me freedom and more quality time with my kids. Now THAT is worth $200 (or a little time buying a discarded one on Facebook or Craigslist!) It’s such a small thing but it has vastly improved my daily life and in a way that has nothing to do with exercise.
How a #Fitbit improved my life, and it wasn’t about exercise. By @SterlingJaquithClick To Tweet
Some of the other Fitbits don’t have this text message/phone call alert function so I would definitely hold out for one that does.
If you do get one, be Fitbit friends with me and we can cheer each other on to get in more steps! I do like this feature too, though I consider it a bonus rather than a driving factor.
I’m not going to take the time to explain that we should be on our phones less and engaged with our children more. This is obvious to all of us that have smartphones; we’re just not quite sure how to cut the cord without giving up a phone we love!
God bless all you mamas out there trying to parent small children in an iPhone world. The struggle is real!
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Copyright 2017 Sterling Jaquith
