Recently, I heard that people who exercise feel happier than those who are wealthy. I could hardly believe it, because people would always like to have more money. Being a fan of healthy living, however, I enjoy having the motivation to exercise. But cerebral palsy does pose an obstacle, especially when you can’t walk.

Out of curiosity, I recently bought a refurbished Fitbit Charge 2, a smart fitness band, wondering how it could help me. Now, before you think I’ve totally lost my mind, I know that I can’t walk. My logic is that any bodily movement has to be good for the system, so I feel that the “steps” I register by moving my arms and body count as walking steps. Not everyone will agree with me, but it motivates me to move and gain more steps each day.

The Fitbit Charge 2 tracks your steps, heart rate, sleep, exercise sessions, calories burned, and miles earned. On the Fitbit app, you can also log what you eat. You just need to charge it every couple of days and wear it like you would a watch. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s not waterproof, which would help when washing my hands and showering. 

The band it came with had the usual buckle. I went on Amazon and found bands that are easy for me to snap off by myself. 

I have been actively working out since putting the Fitbit on my wrist. But then we adopted a new dog, Samantha. Samantha is very sweet and adorable, but one day, she decided to chew on my Fitbit. I wasn’t at all amused. Still, I took it as an opportunity to order the waterproof Fitbit Inspire. Now my little dogs won’t have a chance to chew it up.

I’m proud to say that I’m up to 6,000 steps a day. Getting all of my steps in daily isn’t easy. When I wake up in the morning, I start doing huge hand claps in repetition. Doing Pilates also raises my heart rate and helps get in the steps. Using the hand bike at my local YMCA increases the step count, boosts my heart rate, and strengthens the muscles in my arms.

The Fitbit Inspire has impressed me. I can wear it when I wash my hands and shower. It’s very petite, but it can show me my texts, calls, and other notifications. I personally like the slimmer shape because I feel that I cannot bang it on things as much. I’m very happy, and being physically active each day makes me feel great. 

Another fun thing that you can do is join a Fitbit challenge. These are competitions you can have with other Fitbit users. Keep in mind that you might be in a challenge with people who can walk. You might not win, but it’s fun to compete and try to reach your step goal. I like trying to do better and better each week.

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