Tell Fitbug your tips for squeezing exercise into a regular day and read MNers feedback on the Fitbug Orb. Chance to win two free Fitbug Orbs. NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 50 Mumsnetters who tried Fitbug Orb.

Here’s what Fitbug say: “The system sets you personal targets each week for steps and food, helping you improve your lifestyle at a rate you can gradually adjust to, so it’s not a hardcore exercise regime or a diet that you do for a short time, but a way of improving your habits for the long term."

Testers: We’d like you to post on this thread twice. First with your initial impressions, and then a couple weeks later letting us know how you got on. Please answer the questions below but feel free to add any other thoughts you may have.

First impressions:

Q1. Why did you want to take part in this product test?
Q2. What were your first impressions of the Fitbug Orb when you opened it? Did you like the look of it? If so, why? If not, why not?

Non-testers: What’s the easiest form of exercise that you manage to squeeze into a regular day? Do you have any tips to fit exercise easily into your day to share with other Mumsnetters? Maybe it’s taking the stairs to your office on the top floor of the building, or walking your children to school each day. Whatever it is, we’d love to hear it.

Everyone who adds their thoughts to this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a pair of Fitbug Orbs (worth £50 each).

Thanks,

MNHQ

I am not happy

Having emailed Fitbug support first thing this morning explaining (in detail, including things I had tried myself from the support website) that the Orb had suddenly stopped working as of yesterday evening, I got an email back half an hour ago telling me they could see it was uploading and including screengrabs of my account for the previous 3 days. I KNOW it was working then, and I can see that for myself by logging in to the bloody site! The point is that it has stopped working now! How frustrating to wait a whole day to hear back and they haven't even read my problem properly.

Got another email in the night suggesting that I try the thing I'd explained I'd already tried when I sent my original support request /facepalm

Non tester
I squeeze in exercise by taking the stairs two at a time whenever I'm going up them. I also have a pull up bar over my bedroom door so whenever I'm upstairs I try to do one pull up (almost there!)
I have an app on my phone that tells me how fast I'm travelling which I use whenever I'm walking to the shops after dropping DC at school. I try to beat my previous time and get a great feeling when I do.

Im finding that having bluetooth switched on is interferring with my wifi/data connection which is very annoying and intrusive.

Haven't worn the app every day. Have tried clipping it to waistband as fed up with it on my wrist (feels like I'm tagged!) but there is a huge difference in 'steps', so can't compare one day's steps with another.

One thing I wanted to be able to do was use the app to log if I had taken both sets of my daily meds, as they have to be taken at different times of day so it is hard to remember to take second lot when routine changes. This affects my energy levels and fitness etc if missed. The orb app could be adapted to be used in this way so that the health section was more user friendly, and the user gets to chhose which aspects of health to track/get promps for, and how.

Tester here again, I just wanted to add the sleep function is next to useless, especially as it seems to think I log over 200 steps in my sleep, and randomly switches itself off, also as I'm up in the night feeding DS it logs a wake up when I get up and again when I move to put him back in his crib (next to the bed, so definitely not contributing to the 200 steps it's racking up over night)

I've been away at the inlaws and found I couldn't update my stats unless my phone was connected to the internet, a pain as the inlaws have no signal at their house and are very protective of their broadband usage.

I'm also finding my device is frequently falling out of its wrist band, but the clip doesn't attach well to anything but my bra, which is a pain as it gets in the way of breast feeding

All in all, I'm fast falling out of love with it and I'm glad I didn't spend any of my own money on it or I would be sending it back.

Just noticed on a review on amazon, that fitbug apparently stated if you wear it on your wrist it wont track your steps correctly, so you have to wear it on your waist, and then on your wrist at night.

www.amazon.com/review/R30SIXHJMV276B/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00FRG98I2

Non Tester.
Hardest part for me is not to find time when I can squeeze exercises(squads or crunches don't need much time) but to find willpower to do something as exercising is always harder than to find excuse.
I try to walk as much as possible and do exercises which don't last more than 5-20 minutes.If longer I do them for couple of times(like zumba or some dvd exercise programmes) exhaust myself like working horse and never do them again.

Tester

Why? In really need to improve my fitness (it is non existent) and thought this might be the kick up the backside I needed.

first impressions? Looked pretty neat, got the white one which I feel is a little dated and noticeable. The printed instruction shtetl that came was dire.

Sorry its late....
Q1. Why did you want to take part in this product test?

I need to loose a fair bit of weight and like lists and stats so thought it might motivate me.

Q2. What were your first impressions of the Fitbug Orb when you opened it? Did you like the look of it? If so, why? If not, why not?

I quite liked the packaging although I was quite dismayed to see that I had been sent a pink one. The packaging is quite sleek minimal and as with most products nowadays there was next to no set up info only directions to a website. I could have got away with wearing a black or white one on my wrist but not pink for work. I liked the shape of the orb and the rubberised clip seems to work well so far.

The set up was ok I didn't have the same issues as the other testers.

So I could test it properly I have "borrowed" my husbands fitbit wow I'm NOT impressed I have put in same height/weight/age data and set off for a day at the zoo. My husbands fitbit showed that I had walked 1200 odd steps and the fitbug orb showed only 9000 odd. That is quite a difference. I was wearing them both clipped to my bra strap (one on each side - sexy I know!). I'm looking at the data to see if I have done anything wrong but cant see it so far. This product is not looking promising.

Well it was my own fault that my Orb was goosed, I'd tried to re-pair it when it first stopped uploading steps, and I'd entered the wrong number - no idea why it stopped in the first place but it's working again now.

Still a bit confused by the lack of targets though, I asked customer service about it and got a link to a video which showed me that the targets are the big circles on the screen (I can work that out by myself :)) but mine are zero so not very challenging!

Well my device made it's final bid for freedom, and has now disappeared somewhere on a FGW train, I have searched the carriage and will obviously be contacting the lost property once it opens, but I'm not holding my breath on getting it back.

mine too MTBMummy, since realising that wearing it on my wrist results in far too many steps being logged, I've taken to keeping it in my pocket. Now I keep losing the blasted thing

I think it needs its own tracking device

When I take my kids to activites, such as swimming or drama. Instead of waiting around and watching them, I go for a run. I try and do that twice a week. When I'm going through a fit phase, I'll try and run the 8 miles home instead of catching the tube/train. It only takes 15 mins longer and I get exercise and commute ticked off at the same time!

I run up and down stairs whenever I go up or down. I always have a boogie when the radio or spotify's on especially when doing using the vacuum :o) Nip out and have a play in the garden with the kids that's fun and good exercise too!

msFITS I'm glad it's not just me, I feel awful and I never lose anything.

When I described it to the lost property office they told me they'd probably throw it away

non tester=

a 10 min zumba workout with the little ones is always popular at our house.

Have found mine after a major search, on the floor in my bedroom, must have fallen from my pocket.

I've now attached the otherwise useless lanyard (no idea whose neck it would fit round, barbie? ) so that its not so small & easy to lose.

Haven't been logging food, you can't do it on the app (as and when you eat) so seems quite pointless to me unless actively on a 'diet', had said my goal was fitness in my application.

Tester

Q1. Why did you want to take part in this product test?
I wanted to take part as I thought it might spur me on to help loose baby weight. (DD 6 Months)

Q2. What were your first impressions of the Fitbug Orb when you opened it? Did you like the look of it? If so, why? If not, why not?
Looked quite neat when I first opened it after a delay in receiving it, I received the pink version which tbh I would not have chosen as I am not a pink person really.

I have had a few problems trying to get the bug to work so have had a 3 day conversation with fitbug to try and resolve, it can't be resolved so they are sending me a dongle even though according to customer service I should be able to use it with my phone - so currently very frustrated as I can't use it properly - wonder if mumsnet will extend the testing period to enable all those with issues time to resolve and test the product ?

At the moment I am glad I haven't paid for this product as it would have been returned by now.

Has anyone discovered how on earth you are supposed to use the lanyard ( I thought a lanyard was longer to go around your neck ???)

Yes, quite, Inculkate. I've been wearing dresses most days lately, with nowhere to clip the orb and I'm tired of wearing it on my wrist, so have had a few days off using it.

The only thing that works for me is doing exercise first thing in the morning, otherwise I'll never do it. I close the curtains in the living room, pray that N will stay asleep or at least leave me to it, and put on an exercise dvd.

Over the summer, work colleagues and I were going swimming at lunchtimes in the outdoor pool. Bliss being outside, you get a great (well, dodgy strap mark) tan, and get to exercise. Shame the holiday timetable meant they got rid of lane swimming at lunches.

Always helpful if you exercise with others, so you can't back out

Non Tester

Here are some of the things I do to incorporate exercise into my daily routine.

I normally do a quick but effective exercise video when my toddler is having his nap - taebo is quite good.

I incorporate 'floor work' into the games I play my toddler. For example, sitting him on my stomach and doing peekaboo/silly face sit ups.

Vigorous housework is also a great form of exercise. In the evening I have a small clean/tidy and do it with haste and over exaggerated movements to get a mini work out.

Has anyone found a way of adding food to previous days? Had a snack last night but didn't log it and can't seem to edit previous days for some reason. Possibly me being blind.