BlogElul 10: Count

There is a technological device on the market that will hold you accountable for all of your actions and many of your decisions.

It knows when you are sleeping, it knows when you’re awake.

It’s called a Fitbit.

I jumped on the Fitbit bandwagon about two weeks ago. I resisted the trend for a while, thinking that I was already pretty active through my daily morning workouts and busy work schedule.  

But the Fitbit gave me a reality check, especially because I received it as a gift while visiting family in NYC for my birthday. In NYC, I easily surpassed the recommended 10,000 steps/day, sometimes reaching as high as 20 or 25,000 steps.

I was in for a rude awakening when I returned to Milwaukee, where I drive everywhere instead of walking and consistently climbing stairs in and out of subway stations. After a day that consisted of a 5:45 wakeup for an 8am flight followed by a full day at the office and a High Holy Day choir rehearsal, I had barely walked 7,000 steps by the time I returned home at 9:30pm.

In New York City, every step is with purpose. In Milwaukee, or another car-based city, you have to find a reason to move. 

I felt lazy. I felt useless. I had accomplished a lot during the day, but my Fitbit was telling me otherwise.

So what did I do? Never one to miss a goal – especially at the beginning of a new endeavor – I spent twenty minutes pacing my apartment to obtain the remaining 3,000 steps.

Don’t laugh. If you wear a Fitbit, you’ve done it too.

After about five minutes, I got bored. So I began making my steps count – even though the Fitbit was already doing that for me.

Instead of just pacing, I took a dust cloth and began cleaning my dresser. Then I picked up shoes, one by one, and put them back into the closet. I remembered the races we used to run in gym class as a kid that involved grabbing blocks one at a time before racing back across the gym to get another. In my race against myself, I used shoes, carrying each one individually to its proper spot in my shoe rack.

I can't believe I'm admitting this publicly. All I can say is that my apartment has never been cleaner!

Since getting my Fitbit, I no longer get angry when I can’t find a parking spot close to my destination. Instead, I get gleefully excited that I can get in more steps.

I have new incentive to get out of bed to workout each morning because it basically means that I get almost half of my daily steps in before 8am.

Even though the Fitbit is great at tracking many things like steps, physical activity, and sleep patterns, there are many things I still need to be accountable for. It won’t automatically calculate the amount of calories you eat – that’s something you have to be on the honor system for. If you cheat, you are only cheating yourself.

In addition, my Fitbit is often inaccurate when counting steps while on the elliptical, rollerblading, or biking. These are some of my favorite forms of exercise. To make them count I need to enter the activity manually.   

It is easy to go through the day-to-day motions of life without thinking. Having a Fitbit has added a new level of mindfulness for me. By taking care of some of the counting, it leaves room for me to figure out how to do the rest and to add meaning to every single moment.

May 5776 be a year of walking with much purpose – with or without a Fitbit.