FitBit Zip Review

I am not big on exercise and yet I need to because of my blood pressure. About six months ago I bought myself the Fit Bit Ultra which has become like my workout buddy. Now FitBit has come out with a new pedometer called the Zip.

Zip

It tracks your steps, distance, and calories burned – and syncs those stats to your computer and select smartphones. In doing so, it celebrates how much more you do each day. Zip™ encourages you to set goals, challenge friends, and go farther – one step at time. That’s how you turn everyday life into a social, achievable, awesome path to fitness.

The FitBit Zip is a small wireless pedometer that has become my best friend. I wear it everyday, actually I remember to wear this over my own wedding ring! I wear it on my bra, but it can also be worn on a belt or pocket – it can be as discreet as you’d like it to be because of its small size. The best part though is its rain, splash, and sweat-proof with a replaceable water battery that lasts up to six months.

What you get in the box:

The best part though is that it syncs wirelessly and automatically. No data to enter on your own and it is super easy to view your progress. The information syncs to PCs, Macs the iPhone 4S, 5, iPod touch and the 3rd generation iPad. The free online dashboard then shows a snapshot of your daily and cumulative progress. Yes graphs and charts that make it easy to view your progress.

Zip Tracks:

• Steps Taken
• Calories Burned
• Distance Traveled

Here is an example of my dashboard  (yes I slacked this week and didn’t make my 70,000 – 10,000 steps a day is suggested):

Syncing is super easy as you can either sync wirelessly by walking past your computer which has a wireless USB dongle plugged in or via Bluetooth to your smartphone (iPhones now and Android devices coming soon.)

In 4-6 months you will receive a low battery indicator that lasts four to six months. Changing the battery is as easy as unlocking the back of th Zip and replacing with a 3V coin battery. I haven’t had to replace mine yet but its easy enough and I have bought these coin batteries before at the dollar store.

For extra motivation, you can earn badges. While the badges don’t really do earn you anything, they give you bragging rights and something to word towards. You can earn Lifetime Achievements, Daily Step Achievements, and Daily Climb Achievements.

You can then add friends and compete against them for who walks the most! I can check the board anytime and see where I’m at and I admit I will walk more just to beat my friends!

In the past, I admit I was lazy. I would ask my kids or husband to go get me things rather than me just getting up and doing it myself. Now I walk all the time, well as much as I can, and I feel like every step is counting (literally.)

Did you know that it is recommended to walk 10,000 steps a day? I always felt like I walked a lot but when I started wearing this I realized I barely walked 5000 steps. Now I am walking about 8000 on an average day and when I actually get to go out walking because weather permitted, I get 11000 steps.

You can also log your meals, water, workouts and weight if you’d like. I haven’t gotten too much into this yet but I plan to and just by playing around it is super easy to navigate.

If I was inputting calories, it would even chart it out for me:

BUY IT: The FitBit Zip can be purchased at your local mass retailer and electronics store for $59.95.

Mom and More Disclosure: I was sent this product to review in exchange for my honest opinion. Please see my Disclosure Policy.