Review: Fitbit Flex

For our first wedding anniversary, my husband got us each a Fitbit Flex to "clock" our workout progress (clocks being a modern first anniversary gift - he's so punny!).  The Fitbit Flex is a basic activity/fitness band that tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes.  Since we've been using them for awhile now, I thought it would be a good time to review my Flex!

The main things I use the Flex for are the step and distance counts.  I like to see how far I'm going during the day.  I'd say these counts are fairly accurate - the step tracker takes into account the motion of your wrist, so if you're not moving your arm a lot when you walk, your step count may be somewhat lower.  But I've never felt that it's so wildly off to make it a big deal.  What it can't monitor is activities where you're not moving your arm - riding a bike is a major one that comes to mind.  However, you can add activities using the Fitbit app or website, and by telling it how long you did the activity for, it will add an appropriate number of calories to your daily total. 

The tracker has a good battery life.  I can usually go about 6 days between charges, and charging takes no more than a couple hours.  The bands that you wear on your wrist don't last forever, though.  My husband has gone through several already.  You can order more through Fitbit, or you can find comparable ones for cheaper on Amazon.  They even have cute patterns, like these that my sister found:

i-smile replacement bands on Amazon

On the Fitbit app and website, there is a section where you can log what you eat during the day and count your calories.  Over the past few months, I've been using this feature a lot as I've been trying to lose some weight.  It's been really useful in helping me stay within my daily calorie allotment.  Of course, there are tons of other websites that can track your food intake, but it's great having everything all in one place.

There's also a social media aspect to the Flex.  You can become friends with other people who use the Flex and see how far they're walking each day.  I admit, sometimes it's a little disconcerting to see others leaving me in the dust, but most of the time it's fun.  You can also participate in challenges through the app: daily step challenges, workweek step challenges, and weekend step challenges.  I've done the weekend step challenge a couple times with my sister, and it's funny to see how competitive we get.  But hey, as long as we're moving and getting exercise, that's all that matters!

For me, the biggest plus to the Fitbit Flex is how it gets me moving.  When I first started using it, I was kind of shocked at how little I walk around during the day.  I work at a small law firm, so it's hard to get exercise during the day.  Now, I try to get up more often and take a stroll around the office.  It's been a great motivator for me. 

There are fancier and more high-tech fitness bands out there, but for someone looking for a basic fitness monitor, the Fitbit Flex is a great option!

Review: The Things We Keep

The Things We Keep

Sally Hepworth
 

January 19, 2016

Anna Forster, in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease at only thirty-eight years old, knows that her family is doing what they believe to be best when they take her to Rosalind House, an assisted living facility. She also knows there's just one other resident her age, Luke. What she does not expect is the love that blossoms between her and Luke even as she resists her new life at Rosalind House. As her disease steals more and more of her memory, Anna fights to hold on to what she knows, including her relationship with Luke.

When Eve Bennett is suddenly thrust into the role of single mother she finds herself putting her culinary training to use at Rosalind house. When she meets Anna and Luke she is moved by the bond the pair has forged. But when a tragic incident leads Anna's and Luke's families to separate them, Eve finds herself questioning what she is willing to risk to help them. - from Goodreads

I've come across only a handful of books that can make me cry, and this one got me teary-eyed a few times.  I don't know why I read books about Alzheimer's disease - they just make me sad!  But for all the things about this book that can be upsetting, there was also so much love and hopefulness.

There are two storylines going on here: the first is Anna's, as she enters Rosalind House, the residential care facility due to her early-onset Alzheimer's.  The second story is Eve and Clementine, a mother and daughter trying to recover from Eve's husband's Ponzi scheme fall-out and subsequent suicide when Eve takes a job at Rosalind House.  The book goes back and forth between the two stories, with Eve's taking place several months after Anna's.  I thought this was an interesting and successful technique to use in a book like this.  We learn about Anna's plan to kill herself before her disease can take her, but then she meets Luke, a man her age also suffering from dementia, and she finds a reason to be happy again.  But through Eve's story, we know that something terrible happened, and now Luke and Anna are being kept apart.  It made me want to keep reading to find out what happened.

Anna is a beautifully drawn character.  You can tell she was a very smart and funny woman before her disease took over, and it's hard to see her struggle for words or not recognize her nephew.  I love the bond that was forged between her and Luke and how happy they made each other, even when she can't remember his name.  All they needed to know was that they felt comfort and happiness in the other's presence.

I appreciated that Eve could see how Anna and Luke needed each other and tried to find ways for them to be together, although it was a little frustrating that she kept going against their families' wishes to do so.  She didn't know the whole story, but luckily, it worked out.

4.5 stars - Absolutely amazing.  I would recommend to readers who believe in all kinds of love.