I finally caved. I don’t normally give into peer pressure when it comes to buying things, and that’s not completely what happened here, but I gave in to the health tracker craze.
At first I was against them (for myself). I don’t need to know all of that stuff. Maybe I don’t even want to know all of that stuff. Plus, I already use RunKeeper to track my running and cycling.
But work made me curious. I’m often dead tired when I get home. I’m on my feet nearly all day. I began to wonder exactly how far I did walk each day.
One day I tried using Runkeeper, but the walls of my school interfered with the GPS. It said I’d walked 20+ miles. Once I realized that was way off, I had to rethink how to approach the question.
I’d already seen the ads for the BellaBeat Leaf in the Mindful Magazine I subscribe to. (I think that’s where I first saw it anyway. It was months ago.) Wherever I saw it, I remember Googling it to find out more. I really liked the different functions it offered and the way it looked. It doesn’t look like a health tracker. It looks like jewelry!
Normally I’m not a girly girl with such things, but in this case looks mattered.
I weighed the pros and cons a long time before finally ordering. The cost was the biggest con, but I decided having the data about certain health variables was valuable to me. Particularly the sleep patterns and the steps. I’ve had trouble sleeping through the night for as long as I can remember. Maybe now that I’m getting some data on it, I can do something about it.
Finally I put my order in, and then I had months more to decide if I wanted this device that badly. I ultimately decided I did. I ordered the newer model, the Leaf Urban, because in addition to some of the other normal features of the Leaf (e.g. steps) it also tracked meditations and provides a number of guided meditations through the app.
I’ve already noticed positive changes in my behavior because of this little tracking device.
- I find that I try to hit my goal of 18,000 steps per day. If I’m close, I’ll get up and walk around a bit more.
- I set alarms to remind me to get up if I’m stationary for more than 1.5 hours. This helps me avoid being a couch potato.
- I’ve been setting alarms for myself to leave my house to go for a walk right around sunset.
- I’ve been meditating more.
I’ve only had this since Thursday of last week, but I’m already glad I bought it. I guess it’s aligning itself with my slightly competitive nature, and my desire to not fade into old age. I want to be as healthy as I can be for as long as I can. All of the things the Leaf Urban measures helps with those things.
For those interested, it will also track your menstrual cycle.
I remembered a conversation I once had with a friend. He was describing these health trackers. I remember saying how I didn’t think anyone would want to buy them. That people would prefer to keep their heads in the sand about their habits. I take it all back, and I realize I was incorrect at the time of that conversation…
“Know thyself.”
These health trackers provide different facets of that. I’m happy with my Leaf Urban thus far.