Bob Cramer's Blog

For my birthday in late July, my dear family got me a Fitbit. I don’t generally like new things so  the Fitbit remained in its box, packed away, while thousands upon thousands of steps occurred with no credit.

Over time, not wanting to seem ungrateful and slightly curious about all the Fitbit fanfare (they did a successful IPO recently) , it seemed like time to give it a try.  So I did and now I’m crazed.

Just to be honest, my first interaction with Fitbit was that it was very un-Apple like; I nearly tore my hands to shreds opening the darn plastic.  Steve Jobs would never have allowed for that kind of packaging.  Also, the guts of the Flex version of Fitbit were underwhelming:  two black bands, one charger gadget, one little pin-shaped thing whose purpose remains in question, one tiny battery and a printed sheet with a URL.   I was anything but impressed.

However, from that point forward, the Fitbit has become my new friend.  We go everywhere together.  He sits quietly on my right arm like I’m a big teenager with a new lanyard.  I sleep and shower with him (ok it).  He vibrates to me when I hit milestones but otherwise looks just like a black piece of soft plastic.  He has no face, no interface and he may clash with my Tag Heuer (very fancy) watch according to some fashion-forward people.

He is sneaky though.  Everything I do gets reported back to my iPhone app.  I can’t take one simple step without my app knowing.  He also keeps track of my calories and he even has the audacity to ask me about my weight.

He is getting inside my head a little bit.  I find myself checking my phone app way too much.  The first night that he joined my arm, my family watched HGTV while I walked around the house.  I’m not sure if it was “House Hunters” or my need for a few more steps to reach the magical 10,000 step milestone that got me moving.

In all candor and modesty, I have established a very impressive first week on Fitbit and my accomplishments have been recognized and rewarded with numerous Fitbit badges including: Boat Shoe, Sneaker, Urban Boot, Marathon and High Tops.  I plan to put them on my summer camp jacket if I can find it and in my LinkedIn profile.

Next week, I want to enter into a fitness competition with a good friend who also recently got a Fitbit.  He has been on a golf trip in Scotland this week, but when he comes back, after drinking too many pints and leaving God knows how many steps out there on the rainy course, he may be up to a Fitbit faceoff.  This is the same friend who a few years ago wanted to punch me out on New Year’s Eve, when goodwill to all men is supposed to be front and center, over a ping pong serve and whether it was  “legal” (I assure you it was). Perhaps a walking contest will be more in order.  The numbers will speak for themselves and I’m sure our Fitbits will be up for a rematch anytime.  Game on.