Trade shows, especially for journalists, are a time for getting work done. Meeting exhibitors and seeing product. It’s easy to lose sight of your fitness routines. As the Consumer Electronics Show approached and the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Bluetooth SIG) approached me to wear an activity meter and compete for the journalist who takes the most steps, I was intrigued. There are a few shows including CES and the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) where I know I log a lot of steps because I’m running (sometimes literally) back and forth between several spread out halls to get to appointments and to see the show. I’ve always been curious just how many steps I’ve taken and calories I’ve burned at these shows. Now I had the perfect tool to give me the answer. Not only that, but immediately after CES I was headed to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, and was curious to see how that show compared in steps and energy output.
I flew to Las Vegas on Tuesday morning, and a few steps in Sin City I got my arm band, the BodyMedia Fit. It’s a lightweight square with metal sensors on the back, and strapped in with a soft Velcro arm strap. I started to put it on over my shirt, which I thought was advertising for BodyMedia and the contest the Bluetooth SIG was putting on. I was instructed the device needs to touch your skin, and that the actual device needs to go on the left arm and sit behind the arm above the elbow. OK. Off I went to the first event. The evening before press conferences was a meet-and-greet of sorts. A hotel ballroom full of exhibitors; I walked the room to meet with most of them including BodyMedia, the company that provided the activity meter. That was 1489 steps.
Wednesday is press day. Press conferences are scheduled one after another. Most occur in the same conference center area of the Venetian Hotel’s Sands Convention Center. Even though I waited on line for an hour to attend the Intel press conference, then said in said press conference for an hour, I managed to take 20342 steps that day. There was trash talking on Twitter among participants in the challenge. See the hash tag #stepitup. Though the hash tag seemed to be shared with another stream since there were a bunch of Tweets from people not using BodyMedia Fit that started about the same time.
Actually, I didn’t sync until Thursday evening. I installed the software on my home PC and the iPod app on my Touch before I left. I didn’t have access to WiFi in the hotel, the broadband left a few Mbps to be desired, and the download that had taken moments at home took hours in the hotel room. So for a few days I was walking in the dark not knowing where I stood, or stepped, against my fellow competitors. Somewhere between spending time in the press room writing, again not taking steps, and getting back online at the hotel I was able to log my activity. The three and a half day activity — Tuesday evening to Friday — logged an impressive 63394 steps. The online interface also gives readings for calories burned, calories consumed, physical activity (time), sleep duration and current weight. For this period, I didn’t input calories consumed or current weight, so really I only logged steps taken, calories burned and the duration of physical activity. In the future I plan to start logging the food I eat and track weight lost.
Friday after the show I walked from the convention center to my hotel on Las Vegas Boulevard. Google Maps estimates the walk to be 2.2 miles, though we may have strayed slightly from the charted course.
Monday I attended NAIAS, also known as the Detroit Auto Show. I drove to this event and did have to walk from the nearby parking garage rather than walking to get the shuttle bus, then walking from the bus. NAIAS is actually not a large show, it takes only one hall at Detroit’s Cobo Center. For the day my steps tallied 7427, quite a difference from running from hall to hall at CES.
I plan to continue use with the BodyMedia Armband and Activity manager. Look for more posts in the future. BodyMedia sells three packages, the Armband advantage + Activity Manager + Display; Armband Advantage + Activity Manager; Bluetooth-enabled Armband BW + Activity Manager. I have the latter package. The Bluetooth allows me to connect wirelessly to devices such as my iPod to log steps, enter food intake and view my status on the go. This helps because at times throughout the day I’ve wondered how many steps I’ve taken. I also may never remember to go to my computer and enter what I had for lunch, but am much more likely to power up my iPod at the table and input what I’m eating.
I have yet to get the armband to talk to the iPod Touch. That’s actually the Bluetooth link I need to have working. Since the Fit device is a little pod, there’s no way to get a reading except from linking to the computer or mobile device. During the day I find myself wondering how many steps I’ve taken and how many calories I’ve burned. I think I’d find motivation in checkpoints throughout the day.
The armband itself is unobtrusive. Two sensors on the inside must touch the skin. As long as you place the device on the back of your upper arm, it pretty much works. However since there’s no readout it you have to trust it’s working. The device is very lightweight and can easily be worn under most clothes. Nobody realized I had an armband on under what I was wearing.
I find many armband straps and devices can be futsy. Gravity wants to take them down, or you pull the strap too tight to prevent gravity. The BodyMedia Fit is lightweight and has a soft strap that isn’t irritating. I put it on my arm and forgot about it. I had to feel for it a few times during the day to make sure it was there and still in place.
Now that I’m home and things are calming down, I have to learn to use the BodyMedia Fit and work it into my lifestyle. I’ll start to log meals, tell it when I’m working out, and maybe even wear it when I sleep to help in that area of fitness as well.
Bluetooth Special Interest Group