Column: Doing my bit to keep fit by wearing a Fitbit

I’ve been disturbed to learn that even though I usually average seven hours of sleep per night, I am often restless 33 times during that span.

At least, that’s what my Fitbit tells me.

The Fitbit is an electronic device that measures your steps, activity levels and sleep. I have the basic model, the “Flex.” The more advanced options do more data crunching. I’ve wanted one since they came out a few years ago, mostly to count my steps. I had a rough idea how many steps I walked each day because my iPhone has an app that tracks them. But I don’t carry my cell phone all the time. The Fitbit would stay with me. My chief concern was that I wasn’t sure I wanted to wear an electronic gizmo on my wrist.

This is how my Flex works: It is a rubbery (but probably plastic) band that looks rather like a watch without a face. A small electronic device, which I synced to my iPhone, nestles into the band, where it monitors me.

I know; sounds a little Orwellian, doesn’t it?

Periodically, I take the device out, strap it into a USB plug-in and charge it on my laptop. All the syncing is done wirelessly.

So, in the morning I check my phone to see how I did in the night. Of course, I know how many hours I sleep, but it is interesting to have a record. Also, I am paying more attention to the length and quality of my slumber.

It was not exactly big news to me that I am “restless” during the night. I’m a light sleeper, I have a nervous personality and I’m still recovering from foot surgery I first had last September, and then had to have again in January. I often feel the need to flex my sore toe.

Still, I had no idea I was restless so often.

I had one night recently when I had a hard time staying asleep. I was fully cognizant of this. But sometimes, I guess, I don’t know when I’m awake. The Fitbit tells me I sometimes wake up 10 times a night. I am not sleepwalking, so these wakeful periods must be brief. I guess I wake up then immediately go back to sleep. I wish I knew!

Actually, I think I’ve seen my husband, Paul, do that on occasion.

I once had one of those sleep apnea tests, in which you spend the night in a facility while hooked up to many different wires. I didn’t have sleep apnea, but the technicians noted my restlessness.

No wonder I’m so tired in the morning.

The news has been better on the step front. I still haven’t gotten back into my routine of walking every day (see foot issue above), but I was pleased to see that, on many days, I am approaching 6,000 steps without extra effort. Some health organizations recommend that everyone walks at least 10,000 steps a day, and the Fitbit starts users off with that goal.

I have easily achieved 20,000 steps while on vacation in Washington, D.C. (I walked from the Holocaust Memorial Museum to Union Station.) Ditto while attending a conference in Boston. (The convention center was huge.) But 10,000 steps on an ordinary workday is not that easy for me.

That’s five miles.

I do manage to get steps in at work. I’m the librarian for my school district, so I travel around to different schools. Sometimes I’m walking in and out of three schools a day. If I’m at the high school/middle school, which is connected to the tech center, I can add a lunchtime walk around the interior of the building, even in cold and snowy weather.

Then, I might walk to the supermarket after school. It’s just a short distance from home, but getting there and back, and going up and down the aisles, adds quite a few steps.

Gardening after dinner, which I do some evenings, contributes to the total.

If I see by the end of the work day that I’ve only gone 3,000 steps, I still have time to get in some extra activity before nightfall.

The Fitbit also nudges users to get up every hour during the day. I like that feature, as I often feel glued to my desk.

I was disappointed on my first day with the device to see that briskly walking to the supermarket did not register as “active exercise.” Looking for a reason, I saw that it has something to do with going beyond your comfort zone. Paul and I were amused that when I went for a walk with him, it counted as “active.” I guess he put me through my paces—literally.

All and all, I’ve been pleased with my Fitbit experience, except for one incident. Ironically, it involved my restlessness.

Apparently, during the night the band rode up my arm so far that it became tight. This caused an irritation that exactly matched the square holes in the adjustable band. I had to change the Fitbit from my left to my right wrist. It’s no big deal—just proof that I have no idea what I’m doing when I’m allegedly sleeping.