About six weeks ago, I began a challenge on the ‘Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle’ site. It was to complete 1 000 000 steps in 100 days. I had been looking for some kind of concrete challenge for a while, and the elegance of this particular challenge appealed to me. So, I signed up.

Now I needed some way of measuring accurately how many steps I was doing per day. I still had a pedometer in a drawer somewhere, but when comparing it to what was on the marketplace, it seemed the technological equivalent of an abacus. I decided to spring for a Fitbit, and after researching a bit, settled on the discreetness of a Fitbit One.

As many others can attest, it quickly became my new best friend. You don’t have to scratch too deep to let my competitive side emerge, and Fitbit indeed awakened the dragon. 10 000 step daily goals moved to 12 000, soon to ramp up again to 15 000. Periodic burst of 20 000 and more began to materialize. People I had friended on the site became friendly adversaries. I cheer on their efforts, but secretly do self high-fives when I move past them on the seven-day totals chart. I am grateful to them for helping push me beyond my comfort zone, and hope they feel likewise.

It also led me to a place I did not like, where I became frustrated by people who were obviously inflating their numbers by trickery. It is something that baffles me to no end. At one point, I briefly debated with someone on a message board on whether or not he had actually completed 110 000 steps in a day. I still don’t think it’s possible, but was it really worth my time?

This is the high-wire balancing act. My competitive drive is what allows me to get out the door every day, making sure to hit my goals. It is also what gets my hackles up when I suspect foul play. For the most part, I have come to terms with it. I no longer go on the message boards, and try not to pay attention to the leaderboard on the 1 000 000 step challenge. It is difficult, and I am not always successful, but I am making progress. All things considered, the Fitbit has been a solid acquisition, one I would make again in a heartbeat.