Experiment Log – 004 | Two Weeks Without A Fitbit
Years ago on my first job, I was working as a software developer on a support team. That job was tough and stressful. Being on-call often didn't help. Calls at 1 AM, 2 AM, 3 AM, 4 AM? Yeah, I would get up and answer my phone. I even answered calls as I was trying to get ready to go to work. There was a day or two where I didn't get to sleep at all, because we were stuck on a conference call trying to fix something. It was a very tough job.
I developed a bad case of eyestrain then, though I didn't know it yet. It became so bad that it would cause dizziness every once in awhile. Just moving my eyes from one monitor to another would sometimes trigger it. Just sitting down and looking at something would sometimes trigger it. It became so bad that I was worried that I had some sort of issue with my heart. So I bought a Fitbit with a heart rate monitor. The idea being that whenever I felt dizzy, I would check my heart rate to verify whether something was wrong with my heart, or if it was something else. I've worn my Fitbit everyday since then.
Last month I learned that Google has bought Fitbit. Needless to say, I am not happy about that bit of news at all, especially now that I've grown a bit sensitive when it comes to the issue of data privacy. Even if Google says they won't make use of the health data that Fitbit has amassed, I don't know, I just don't trust that statement. Unfortunately I have yet to find a fitness tracker that can replace my old Fitbit Charge 2. So, I thought if I couldn't replace it, maybe I should just live life without it. This experiment then is about going a week, or maybe two weeks, without wearing my Fitbit.
As a compromise to myself, I am bringing my Fitbit along in my work bag, just in case I feel the need to check my heart rate. If so, I will put it on temporarily. I won't be wearing it for the majority of the day, not even when I exercise or go to sleep.
Update: Experiment Log – 004 Results
Tags: #ExperimentLog #Fitbit