A Cattle Prodder

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I started lockdown with all kinds of good intentions regarding exercise but a couple of weeks ago I started to cheat. Preferring to stretch in Pilates and Yoga sessions, I neglected HIIT and weights sessions.

With my gym membership I have access to an App that invariably tells me that my lifestyle is very active. Had I logged into it last week, I'm sure it would have told me that my lifestyle is now comatose with nothing recorded to persuade it otherwise.

The truth is, I need a class booked and a Gym Instructor breathing down my neck to really press myself. With indoor leisure activities likely to be the last to re-open, there was no choice; drastic action was needed. I have bought myself a cattle prod!

Well that's not quite true, not the cattle prod bit anyway. It's actually a Fitbit but when I read that it would issue an alarm every hour if I hadn't moved, I did have visions of being subjected to electric shock treatment courtesy of the humble farmer's prodder.

Perhaps it would be better to regard it as some kind of third party surveillance, strapped to my wrist rather than my ankle, for it records my every move. There is no longer any form of escape. This is the Personal Trainer that you both hate and desire, and yes it even goes to bed with you. I have been forced to up my game.

Actually I'm quite proud of myself, I think I've only been prodded once and no it was a simple vibration of the device rather than electric shock therapy. It seems every aspect of my life down to my resting heartbeat is now being monitored.

If I have any complaint about it at all then, whilst happy to know that my cardio fitness is excellent and my sleep pattern good,  I really did not want the  accolade to be spoilt by the "for a woman of your age" qualification. However, you can't have it all ways and the fireworks to tell me I've achieved my goals for the day are a nice touch!

Comments

Treaders said…
I've had 2 fitbits - not expensive ones though. The first one, after a couple of years, I could no longer charge it so I bought another cheapo one. Problem with that one is that I need to sync it to my phone and apparently my phone isn't "modern" enough to accept it. So since I'm not buying a new phone I just went out and bought myself a cheap pedometre which I put on every morning and I find that's pretty good at motivating me to move. But finding motivation is difficult isn't it.
21 May 2020 at 14:39
Caree Risover said…
I confess I was never previously attracted to the idea of a fitness device and know so many people who, like you, have had issues with them failing or being inaccurate. However, always being one to come late to the party and desperately in need of a stick and carrot, I decided to look at them again and concluded that not only are they more reliable than used to be the case but also cheaper in relative terms. No doubt time will prove me wrong or right, but hopefully I’ll emerge from lockdown fitter than my trajectory suggested a couple of weeks back.
21 May 2020 at 17:33
Jennyff said…
Sounds like my kind of nightmare. If the device works for you and is making a difference its doing its job. Half a life time ago I was a long distance club runner, old habits etc. I know that when you don't want to exercise is the time it does you the most good so keep going. Lets hope everyone is a bit fitter after this pandemic, and keeps being so. Sanctimonious aren't I, but I do feel strongly that we all have a duty to look after our own bodies.
22 May 2020 at 11:07
Caree Risover said…
Yes, my body is a temple but unfortunately I’m not always as devout as I could be
22 May 2020 at 20:26
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