Healthy living
Exercise and fitness
Catching the fitness bug
Website editor, Melody Rousseau, puts the 'Fitbug' through its paces. Here’s how she got on
Let's take the stairs
Recently I’ve been uncharacteristically enthusiastic about fetching coffee and avoiding the lift – the reason? I’m being bugged by a tiny machine that records my slothful habits then reports me to HQ. Goaded by regular text messages and emails urging me on to greater activity, I’ve also been caught jogging on the spot while brushing my teeth.
What is this miracle?
Fitbug™ combines the concept of a computerised personal trainer with a high-quality pedometer that sends your daily step counts back to the Fitbug HQ via a cable connecting your pedometer and PC (unfortunately, it doesn’t work on Apple Macs). A team of exercise and nutrition specialists at HQ use this information to calculate activity targets for the coming week and email you a weekly plan to boost fitness and fat burning.
Sounds good, how do I get one?
After buying your fitbug online at www.fitbug.com, you create a username and password for yourself which you need when you register your bug. This arrives with a lithium battery, USB cable, CD-Rom, membership card, instruction booklet and various clips with which to attach it to your person. You need a small screwdriver to install the battery, then the bug is alive and ready to plug into your computer via the USB cable. This is all fairly easy to achieve with the help of the clearly written and labelled instruction booklet.
Is that it?
Alas, no. Next you have to download the Fitbug Manager software from the Fitbug website and register your bug.
First a howl of outrage, when I realised I had forgotten to register online at www.fitbug.com, before completing an eight-mile walk earlier that day (think how impressive that would have looked).
Nevertheless, I decide to get on with it, and start logging my somewhat unimpressive daily trots to and from the station. However, it is possible to include other activities, so swimming and yoga are added on too.
Going online, I found a fairly busy home page. Going by the instructions in my Fitbug booklet, I click on 'members log in' and find a link entitled 'new member'.
Now what?
Remember that username and password? You enter this while registering, together with information about your weight, height and fitness goals. It’s all metric, but there is an instant metric/imperial converter on the website to help the traditionally-minded. Next you need to set up the time, date, and stride length on the bug itself - help is at hand on the website to help you calculate your stride.
Next I skimmed through a health questionnaire, before getting to grips with the daily food record. This took me a bit of time, mainly because we shop at Waitrose, and it’s not one of the supermarkets whose products are listed. My solution was to look for things that were roughly equivalent products. However, the reliance on supermarket products meant that I was unable to add my freshly squeezed carrot juice - or the tiramisu ice cream I had that afternoon at an Italian ice cream parlour.
Get moving
It's time to shake a leg, but you need to plug your bug into your computer and upload your steps at least every couple of days. Remember, they have your mobile number so they can - and will - chivvy you along with text messages and emails until you do it.
Fitbug in action
To load the stats, you simply stick one end of the cable into the top of your ‘bug’ and the other into a USB slot in your computer and a window pops up inviting you to load your stats. You can then visit your personal page to view your step bar charts and targets for the week ahead. I was a bit disappointed that they had only set me a meagre daily 3,300 steps for the first week. Even on my worst day I managed 5,365, while on my best, after a five-mile walk, I notched up over 11,000.
How did I do?
At the start of the next week I received my first weekly report, with colourful charts showing how many steps I had walked each day, how many calories I had consumed, and, a big one for me this, my nutritional balance. At a glance I could tell that my carbohydrate intake is out of kilter, and I know what the culprit is – bread. I will have to change my ways.
What can they do to help?
Fitbug also provides a selection of healthy recipes plus a panel of experts on hand to answer your questions. Meanwhile, over in the community part of fitbug.com, ‘Fantasy Footfall’ offers you the opportunity to compete against others.
Catching the fitness bug
For me, Fitbug was a big wake-up call. We all know that if we consume more calories than we use they get stored as fat, but that doesn’t stop some of us, me included, fooling ourselves about what we’re eating and how much we’re moving. I had thought that an eight-mile walk would cancel out our favourite Sunday treat of pizza, glass of wine and ice cream – wrong. I now know that if I want to do this and stay in the black, calorie-wise, I’ll either have to forego breakfast and dinner or do more exercise.
Coming to my senses has forced another change too – there, in black and white, my diet demons were writ large. Bread, cheese, butter and wine. The solution? Simply not to have them in the house on a regular basis, though I know, after previous amnesties on these favourites, that they have a tendency to creep back in after a while.
Is it for you?
If you are aware of not being active enough and are comfortable with a computer, this is probably a good way to tempt you off that sofa.
How much is it?
Fitbug offers several packages – and it’s wise to make sure you understand how to cancel the contract before signing up in case you don’t want to extend your original commitment.
- 12-month plan for £84.00: which includes a members' pack containing the 'bug' pedometer, the USB cable, battery, various attachments, booklets and 12 months' full access to fitbug.com. After the 12-month period is up, membership will be charged at £6 a month until you terminate the contract.
- 12-month gift plan: essentially exactly the same as the 12-month plan above, without the rolling fees continuing after the initial contract period.
- 12-month 'Pay Monthly' plan: includes all of the above; the difference is that there is a monthly fee of £9.00. You pay £27.00 upfront, covering the first three months, then from the fourth month onwards, you pay £9.00 per month by direct debit, which will continue beyond the initial 12-month period if the contract is not terminated.
- Three-month plan for £49.00: This includes all of the above, but gives you access to fitbug.com for only three months. However, they will continue to charge you £9.00 per month after the three-month period has ended unless you terminate the contract.
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
