Fitbit Flex
My brother-in-law bought me a Fitbit Flex because he’s awesome like that. My fitness levels have been virtually non-existent for the past few months so this is exactly what I needed to jump-start a more active lifestyle. Not only because being active provides numerous benefits towards my mental and physical well-being, but because bikini season. I’ve been looking into a wearable activity tracker (FitBit, Jawbone Up, Nike FuelBand, etc.) as they’re becoming increasingly popular and I felt it would help in providing accountability and motivation. The Fitbit Flex consistently has the best ratings and reviews across tech websites and I’ve found the price point at $99 to be friendlier than its counterparts.
The Fitbit Flex tracks steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, hours slept, and your quality of sleep. In addition, you can monitor your calorie and water intake through the customizable dashboard on the Fitbit website. I think one of the best features of the Fitbit Flex is that you can wear it 24/7; it can be worn in the shower and when swimming as it is water-resistant. The Fitbit Flex syncs data wirelessly with PCs and Macs automatically via the USB dongle, and can communicate directly with iPhones and select Android smartphones. Fitbit also works with several popular health apps such as Lose It!, MapMyFitness, and MyFitnessPal that let you export your Fitbit data.
Unpacking the Fitbit Flex from the packaging and the subsequent set up was easy. The box includes two rubber bands to fit all wrist sizes, a removable tracker which slips inside the rubber strap, a wireless dongle which enables automatic syncing, and a charger for the tracker which I’ve read takes one to two hours for a charge that will last from five to seven days.
The Fitbit Flex is able to provide a slimmer and more stylish design in comparison to its counterparts due to the fact that it doesn’t have a traditional display. Tap the module twice and the lights will tell you how close you are to your step goal. Each of the five lights represents 20 percent of your target number of steps (by default it's 10,000). When you reach the goal, the band will vibrate and the lights will blink to congratulate you. Tapping the module five times puts it into sleep-mode, and you tap it five times again when you wake up to start your day.
I’ll provide an additional review once I have a chance to fully utilize the Fitbit Flex. In the meantime, I’m having fun playing around with it and trying to meet my short term daily goal of 10,000 steps.
