Well, the new Fitbit got me walking! Look at the record for the first few days after strapping it to my wrist on Sunday 5th January:
Three days in a row on which I got my 10,000 steps in, getting up to 16,000 of them by the Wednesday. A cracking start.
And my resting heartbeat rate fell in response...
In subsequent days the rate rose again, as bad weather kept me indoors and I walked much less. A shame.
But in the last three days, cold dry weather and a strange luminescence in the sky (the men in the village tell me it is the Sun) have got me out and about again. Another three 10,000-step days in a row, and my resting heartbeat rate has declined to 54 beats per minute. It's fine all day tomorrow as well - I'll definitely make it four 10,000-step days in a row - and 52 or 53 beats per minute - if I possibly can!
There is yet another reason to get 10,000 steps clocked up each day. I want to see what happens in the Fitbit's display.
When it detects that I've done 10,000 steps, it vibrates on my wrist to let me know, and (following a recent firmware update that I installed by Bluetooth from the phone app) the display briefly comes to life without my having to do anything, such as pressing the little button. So far I've seen three different kinds of 'celebration'. All show '10,000'. But one has fireworks shooting upwards and exploding. Another has a glitter ball (as found in parties and discos) turning round. Yet another has an arrow passing underneath the '10,000' from left to right (referencing an archery target, I suppose), and a little bird that perches on the figures (referencing...what? Something I don't know about, clearly).
What other displays might I see? The only way to find out is to do at least 10,000 steps tomorrow! And each day after that, until they start to repeat.
The old Fitbit Alta HR (now in my friend Angie's hands - see her blog in my very short and select list on the right) had just the one display when that 10,000th step was done, not three or more. But it lasted longer. Long enough to photograph it easily. The Alta also had a 'time for bed' vibration, plus several different late-evening messages to encourage me to hit the bathroom and leap into bed for a good night's rest.
The Inspire HR doesn't have any of that. My phone still leaps into life, and shows a message exhorting me to 'rest and recharge' but that's the only thing it ever says. There used to be several different messages, and not the same ones as on the Alta HR either. So there's not the same impact. The Alta HR made sure I knew about an achievement, and really called bedtime to my attention. The Inspire doesn't make the same fuss.
One thing the Inspire HR is definitely better at, though, is telling me the time. That new clock face is easily readable in all but the brightest daylight out of doors. In cloudy weather, or indoors, it is very clear indeed. So much so, that I can easily decipher what the time is if I wake up during the night, and don't put my glasses on. It's blurred but unmistakable. I couldn't read the time at night on the Alta HR clockface. So a real gain in usability here.
In fact, I'm getting back in the habit of glancing at my wrist. It's surprising how often I want to know what the time is - for a long-retired person, that is. Well, if it makes me more aware of passing time, and therefore more punctual, then that's a gain for everyone.
