Tried it Tuesday: Jawbone UP

We had another snow day today... We've now used up all our "free days." Boo! But, with my free time I decided to link up Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper for another installment of Tried it Tuesday! This week's "tried it" is not directly school related since it's more of a healthy living post... So, skip over if you're looking for classroom ideas.

This week I've been trying out my new Jawbone UP which is similar to the more common FitBit Flex. The UP is a band that you wear during your day and night to measure your steps, activity, and sleep patterns. I've been researching these types of bands for a while trying to decide which one was right for me. I knew I didn't really want the body bug since you had to wear it on your arm. Also, I had heard mixed reviews on the Nike Fuel band so that was out as well... Ultimately, it came down to price. My parents went to buy a Jawbone and the salesman at Verizon made us a great deal we couldn't refuse. A cheaper than Amazon type of deal! So, I went with the Jawbone...

Here's mine still in the box... 

Mine is not wireless but plugging it into my phone really isn't that hard and I don't need to see my steps instantly. I upload about two - three times a day and that is good for me. It only takes seconds to sync and upload! Plus, all my calories are automatically shared through the My Fitness Pal app.

Here's a screen shot of the main screen and the food screen:

The sleep feature is amazing! I love it! Here's my sleep graph & trends graph:

So if you're looking for something to get you motivated this year here are a few things to consider before purchasing an UP.

Pros:
- It links/syncs to multiple apps you're probably already using like My Fitness Pal, RunKeeper, or Lose It!
- It's like wearing a rubber bracelet and it's NOT noticeable. Only one student even commented on my new band. Plus it does come in several colors.
- Tracks sleep cycles and steps
- Gives you a calorie conversion for all your physical activities
- Has an idle time so you can get up and move around
- Gently wakes you during light sleep within 30 minutes of your alarm
- Step up is super user friendly
- Easy to use on a daily basis
- Motivating
- Allows you to track your sleep, steps, and mood over time.
- Health tips and fitness tips are great for getting motivated
- "I'm In" feature lets you sign up for weekly challenges
- Can create a "team" so you can view and comment on others progress. This one definitely holds me accountable!
- Holds charge for 10 days!

Cons:
- You have to tell the band you're going to sleep or your sleep won't be logged.
- Some of the calorie information from my Fitness Pal is listed on the UP app so always do a check if you're watching things like carbs or fats.
- It's not waterproof for the pool in the summer time
- Can't wear it or use it while it's charging... no way to manually log activities through the UP app.

So far, I love my Jawbone UP. If you want to research the UP or check out the new wireless UP 24 visit the Jawbone website. For me, I just needed an extra push to get motivated and moving! I've already been close to hitting 10,000 steps and seeing my time inactive was a real eye opener! I'm hoping this combined with better eating and calorie counting with will help me towards a happier and healthier 2014!

What have you tried this week?