Fitbit Zip
Pros: Honest, Accurate, Snug fit, Online interface, Works with other apps
Cons: Will challenge non-tech users
One of the newest accessories appearing on active people keeps them fit and opens conversations with strangers. The Fitbit plan has caught on nationwide and in my opinion, if used to its fullest and respected for the information that it provides, users will drop weight. I believe this so much that I recommend it to everyone – the only caveat is that they need to be capable of using the software and maintaining their content. Sitting at Buena Vista winery in California recently I opened an animated conversation with two Fitbitters from Vancouver, BC.
Riding, walking, jogging and wogging, swimming, and dancing burn calories and contribute to feeling confident in how many were burned. Consuming extra calories when very active seems justifiable. Friends brag that they run to eat and they eat more because they run. My Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker is more than a pedometer. It is a bluntly honest personal tracker that syncs with a computer program that stores the results and converts them into intake and output comparisons — sometimes with disturbing results. It exposes the reality of our “justifiable” consumption.
I consumed many more calories than what I just burned!?! That couldn’t have been possible – yet it was and that explains why my weight wouldn’t drop even when exercising hard. It also explains why I rarely eat out now.
Fitbit’s Zip captures daily activities better than any previous pedometer. It captures the results and syncs them on my computer. The steps are converted into calories burned, they accumulate over time. It’s difficult to say what I like most about wearing the Zip. This is a two-step process. The Zip pedometer tracks both distances and steps. The program interprets the stats with eye-opening results.
The Zip on my Hip
- Is powered by an accelerometer and battery.
- Measures two inches long and 1 ¼ inches wide when stored in the color-coordinated, protective clip.
- Is enclosed in a silicone-covered rain-, splash- and sweat-proof case
- Case is color coordinated and available in black, white, but also bright lime, blue and magenta.
- Has a snug fit when hooked to my pocket or exercise bra. I wear this everywhere.
- The half-inch square screen is easy to read. Toggling between the displays requires only a finger tap minus any danger about accidentally resetting the display.
- The digital screen displays current time, distance, number of steps, and calories burned.
- Automatically syncs with an assigned computer when within 20 feet. The “dongle” is plugged into one of the USB ports to receive Zip’s input.