by Lexi Rosas | editor-in-chief
Senior Lauren Kraus checks her ranking on the 24 hour Fitbit challenge she has signed up for. She has one hour until the finish and only a few steps separate her from that first place position. She knows that if she doesn’t win she will not be able to handle her teammates tomorrow, so she jumps on the elliptical to close the gap.
In the new year, the ever present resolution to lose weight has taken a new face in fitness wristband, more popularly: Fitbits.
“It keeps me on track throughout the day,” art history teacher Christy Dallahan said. “I check it every once in a while to see how active I’ve been, so it keeps me going throughout the day.”
This device appears to be nothing more than a simple step counter-at first glance. Some aren’t aware of all of the features available on the app. The band allows the owner to watch their caloric intake, water consumption, weight gain and loss, floors climbed, minutes active, miles traveled, calories burned and one’s sleep cycle.
“My Fitbit allows me to track my daily exercises and lets me see if I need to improve my routine,” senior Kyle Reynoso said. “I really just count my calories and my steps per day and I definitely feel a lot more fit and more conscious of my daily activities.”
Aside from simple physical activity, the Fitbit also helps the wearer attack some of their diet downfalls.
“I enter my water consumption…that’s something I need to work on,” Dallahan said. “It did [make me more conscious of my water consumption]…theres that instant gratification of seeing it increase when I put it in.”
It is not uncommon to hear about someone waking up, from what appears to be a hearty sleep, feeling drowsy. The Fitbit allows someone to study their night’s rest; this includes the amount of time the participant was restless and awake, so that they may find ways to correct their schedules.
“Well, I’ve learned that I don’t sleep, so I have been trying to be better by going to bed earlier and drinking less coffee so that I can fall asleep and stay asleep,” senior Lauren Kraus said. “I am also way more active and I drink enough water now.”
This tool also allows friends to connect and battle each other for badges and for victory. With this feature, individuals are motivated to get up and move.
“I participate in competitions with my friends,” senior Lauren Kraus said. “I’m very competitive and it’s a friendly competition between me and my peers, so I work out more so that I can win.”
With such a simple device it is easy to stay active and in-line and makes fitness goals easily attainable.
“I definitely check it regularly and you know…always checking where I need to be like, ‘I want this many steps by lunch,’ Dallahan said. “It helps me set little goals for myself throughout the day and through the week too.”
With just the tap of a screen or the opening of an app people are changing their habits for the better with increased exercise and healthier choices.
“The fitbit is my fitness Bible,” Reynoso said. “And I live by it daily, of course.”
