Another week begins….
So I didn’t entirely ditch my Fitbit, in the sense that I threw it away, but more in a I haven’t been wearing it the past few weeks.
I initially wanted a Fitbit to monitor my sleep and I thought it would be interesting to see how much I really did walk throughout the day. If I was as active as I thought. This turned into more of an obsession and a constant check of my steps. Competing with myself and other family members. The competition was fun at first, but then it turned into more and more and a bit overboard.
My Fitbit has been sitting in my nightstand for a few weeks and I still find myself looking at my wrist to check my steps. I still login to my App to log my morning run or water intake. It’s almost sad. It’s been nice not having to stress about one more thing….you know it’s bad if you are stressing over something that’s supposed to be helping you be healthier. Stress people isn’t healthy.
Here are my reasons why I ditched the Fitbit:
- It became an obsession – I was always checking my watch. Wanting to make sure I hit those 10, 000 steps, which was harder if I didn’t have my morning run. I had to end on an even number and I would find myself pacing the halls or going up stairs to reach whatever goal it was.
- Friendly Competition Became Stressful – It become an lets outdo the Jones’s. I had to have more steps than my hubby or sister or others posting on Instagram.
- I stressed over my lack of sleep – Okay so it was supposed to be helping me get more sleep, but as I watched how little sleep I actually got during my pregnancy and after, I stressed over the lack of sleep. The stress resulted in less sleep…..that wasn’t healthful or helpful.
- I was losing sleep and joy – I would stay up later just to get more steps, losing more energy and beginning my next day drained. Joy was fading with my restlessness.
- I NEED to SIT more – Yep, I said it. As a mother of two under two, I need to sit longer than just a breast feeding long. I found myself only sitting throughout the day to breastfeed or update this blog. That was it. I realized I wasn’t at a desk job where I sat for long hours without moving and was exhausting myself on a daily basis cleaning and chasing kiddos.
- It’s not accurate – This bugged me how inaccurate it was. It didn’t measure my runs accurately, resulting me always having to update it correctly and you could gain more steps by sitting and moving your arms back and forth. I learned this when I was helping my sister paint or scrubbing floors.
- I was too attached – I felt naked without it. It became a sidekick I felt I needed to always have on. I would freak out (well maybe not this dramatic) if I forgot to put it on after it was fully charged or if it crashed before the end of the day, and didn’t measure the rest of my steps for the day. Hoping I didn’t forget it while out hiking or exploring. Hello OBSESSED!!
Fitbit’s can be useful, especially for those beginning a healthier lifestyle or trying to be more active. But sometimes we can take it all to far, and our society has done just that. We have an obsessed society, obsessed with fitness and body image. Looking thin to be “more attractive” and “fit.” I don’t think Fitbit’s are bad, but we may be a little too attached to them.
This can happen with almost anything in our lives, an unhealthy obsession. Frankly, I don’t want to be obsessed with my health, my active lifestyle. I want to be healthy. Obsessions are unhealthy, so I had to check myself. And it’s freeing!! It was hard at first, but now I feel lighter.
Funny how ditching a little watch for a few weeks can make you feel healthier. Something meant to help us be healthier can turn into an unhealthy obsession. Our society has an unhealthy obsession with fitness, a topic for another day, and I don’t want to be apart of this. I am not saying you have to ditch yours, but it may be wise to re-evaluate it all.
Have a Happy Monday!!
Until Next Time Be Whole and Be Fit
What are your thoughts? Have you ever been to obsessed with health?