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May 29, 2014

My Fitbit Obsession

My Fitbit

I admit I might be a little late to the party on Fitbit, however, it’s been less than a week with this thing and it has already changed how I think about everyday activities. The goal of getting 10,000 steps has become an obsession. I’m climbing the stairs, walking different routes to work, taking strolls through the park after dinner… hell, even volunteering to take the neighbors dog for a walk. It’s crazy.

Crazy smart, that is. This weird little bracelet thing makes me think about my health, way more often than signing up for a 5k or reading health article after health article. But why did it take me so long to join the bandwagon? Marketing.

Fitbit has done a good job, but could do so much more. They play off the angle of helping people lead healthier, more active lives. I would say this is accurate, but most of their messaging is centered around those already active and thinking about their health. I believe there is an opportunity to convert those less focused on their day-to-day health into addicts by speaking to them more directly. What has fascinated me about this device is how it changes the way I think about common activities. Things like walking over to my colleague’s desk rather than using Skype, or jumping off a metro stop early, have become more common thoughts. These are the changes that make this so valuable.

Our client, higi, is another concept that could make a major change in how people think about their health. Let’s face it, healthcare in the U.S. is a mess. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet it ranks at or near the bottom of every major health metric. Only 1 in 5 Americans even meet aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening standards.

higi helps people improve their health by taking small, yet meaningful steps that lead to positive and lasting habits. They provide convenient tools that are already integrated into our lives – higi stations at the Pharmacy that track your basic vital stats, an app to monitor results on your phone and challenges that integrate with such tools as Fitbit to keep you motivated. higi is not concentrating solely on the ultra-healthy, but targeting everyday people (who, if provided with access and information, are likely to make small changes in their lives).

At the end of the day (as my colleagues so love that I say), I believe if everyone in this country had a Fitbit and a higi account we would instantly reduce healthcare costs. Information is power and technologies like this provide education and empowerment over your daily health decisions. Help us all get there Fitbit. If you’re interested, I can be reached at tfrank@delucchiplus.com and am ready to dive in immediately on how to reach every average Jane and Joe out there who need that little push to a healthier life.

And for those who now think I’m crazy, I blame this one (and probably many of my other idiosyncrasies) on my parents, who bought me the darn thing for my birthday.

Okay, time to walk to lunch, all the way across town… need those steps!