We’re constantly amazed by what Fitbit users can accomplish with their trackers. In our Extreme User series, we’ll be highlighting people who went above and beyond their usual goals to accomplish something great.
Carolyn became a Fitbit user in March of 2012. While she was already passionate about exercise, she wanted to measure how active she was outside of her workouts as well. Fitbit, she writes, “helps me to understand more so I don’t work out and then sit down… my minimum goal is 17,000 steps a day, which I rarely don’t meet.” 17,000 steps probably sounds like a lot, but Carolyn didn’t even start to consider herself to be athletic until her thirties. And she’s certainly an athlete these days: she runs three Spartan races a year, plus another six or so half-marathons! On top of it all she’s a mom to three young kids, and she thinks of them as she’s getting those steps in. “I want to be a good example for my kids,” she writes, “There’s never a point where you stop – there is never a time when you should stop.”
What really pushed Carolyn into “Extreme User” territory though, was the day she took 86,000 steps in one day. That’s 40 miles! Here’s what she did, in her own words:
“I wanted to celebrate turning 40. I ran/walked/stair stepped a total 40 miles on my birthday. I did the Grand Teton race in August and a person on my team did it for her birthday. It was a huge accomplishment and I hadn’t done a marathon – it was me giving to me what I like to do – 40 miles on my 40th.
“It literally took the entire day – [I] woke up at 4:30/5 am [and] did 10 miles, came home and walked five miles with a girlfriend, did an hour and a bit on the stair stepper, went out running, then came home, and ran some miles with my husband when he got home. Then we went to a birthday dinner, and I ran home from dinner to finish my miles. It was basically 5 am – 9 pm to get all 40 miles in.
“I loved doing it and it proved I can do hard things – I did something that I enjoy doing to celebrate and I used my friends to help me.”
Carolyn earned a “Genie Shoes Badge” for her efforts; she managed to discover in the meantime that that’s the highest badge we have for daily steps!
Join us in congratulating Carolyn on her truly extreme day! If you’d like to be featured on the blog, tell us what makes you an Extreme User by going here.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
I have a fitbit extreme and would like a manual or e-mail on how to set it up , time etc etc., help!!!