Small Steps

It’s the time of year when I begin to cling to little things in order to maintain my sanity and make it through the winter months in one piece. You know, a late night FaceTime session with best friends, a thought-provoking documentary, an unexpected package in the mail, the smell of baking brownies, the shade of a new lipstick, or the quiet that settles over everything when you’re spending quality time alone.

I’ve been using the Fitbit for about two weeks now. To be honest, I purchased it on a whim because I had a gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket. I spend most of my day sitting in front of a computer at work, and I thought it might be a good way to track how often I move and encourage me to get in 10,000 steps a day.

Though there have been times when I have neglected to achieve my daily goal, overall, I’ve found that it’s relatively non-intrusive and can—literally—push you to go the extra mile. Because it automatically syncs with the computer to report on your progress, the commitment to the device is merely the act of putting it on in the morning and taking it off at night. In fact, I usually forget that I’m wearing it. 

So, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I received an email report letting me know that I’ve already walked 50 miles! Though most of those steps were on the treadmill or out in the cold, it almost seems like an exotic gypsy-esque accomplishment, and an occasion that’s certainly made the list of things getting me through January.