The other day while I was on my way to pick up Big at the bus stop, I walked the Golden Gate Bridge, the Big Sur coast, burned off a cupcake and donated clean water to children in need. Pretty amazing for your average day, right?
That pretty much sums up why I fell in love with the concept of Striiv when I heard about it at BlogHer. I arrived at a brunch early and got to talking with a guy who was completely and totally passionate about what he was saying. It wasn’t just a product he was sharing, it was a frame of mind. One I try, try, try to embrace. Let’s not feel bad about what we don’t accomplish, let’s celebrate the little things we do accomplish. And when I went to their headquarters a few weeks later, I realized it wasn’t just one guy, it was a whole team of folks excitedly working around the clock to help launch this product that would change the way people approach their day.
So what is it? It’s a little piece of genius disguised as a pedometer/trainer/motivator/do-gooder/game. It not only measures your steps, it knows if you’ve walked, run, hiked or climbed stairs. It tells you how far you’ve gone and how many calories you’ve burned. But not just in numbers, in milestones…so you can see if you just go a bit farther, you’ll have walked the beaches of Cannes. (Even if it was in Target.) And as you walk, you earn money for charity (either polio vaccines or clean water for children in need) without having to ask anyone for a cent. For the gaming types, your walking helps you build and conquer Myland. All that right there in your pocket as you pace the nursery, shop the aisles and chase your munchkins.
I was lucky enough to get a prototype before it hit the market, so I’ve been using my Striiv for about a month. What I love it the way it changes my thinking. Instead of going insane as I walk in circles trying to get Pink to sleep, I watch the calorie count going up and bounce a bit more. When I get to preschool pickup early, instead of checking email on my phone, I walk around the block. (Ok, I still look at my email while I’m walking, but you get the point.) So far I’m not shedding pounds. But I’m motivated to make better choices and I’m setting a new goal. Starting this week, I’m going to try to walk 10,000 steps a day. My personal best so far is 9,308, so it won’t be easy. But I’m excited to watch the points, donations and miles add up. And, hey, if the pants size goes down, all the better!
And since Striiv is creating a movement around movement, they want to make two Using Our Words readers a part of the movement (I know, that’s a lot of movement!). Just leave a comment sharing where your Striiv would go with you and two winners will be selected at random on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. To be eligible, you must have a non-P.O. box shipping address and live in the Continental United States. And if you don’t win, you can buy one ($99.95) HERE.
All opinions expressed and steps walked are my own (much to Big’s dismay), and I did not receive compensation for writing this post. I was provided with a pre-market unit by Striiv and the giveaway prizes are provided by Striiv.
Oooh, I want one of these SO BAD! I’d take my Striiv with me everywhere! I walk a few blocks to lunch every day at work, so this would totally motivate me to keep moving and do a little more!
I LOVE my Striiv – I do take it everywhere and it’s make me so much more conscious of my activity – like I didn’t know I could do so many steps just going up and down the house to do laundry… plus it’s great to give back, I already have about three glasses (days) of clean water going and then want to switch over to doing the rainforest or immunizations against polio… plus there’s a little world you can build as you amass (walking) points, it’s pretty fun!!
I would striiv to take it everywhere I go!
Wow! What a cool little piece of technology! Even better it fits on my keychain so it would go everywhere with me – my purse or my pocket! And knowing that I’m helping someone else when I’m making better choices for myself – even better! It might even encourage me to play that extra game of tag my kids are asking for! You come across some of the neatest things in your job, Amy!
in the real world, that thing would be strapped to my hip wherever I went… in striiv world, I’d be seeing how often I could visit (via walking) my parents up north… or – better yet – my sister’s home in HK!
And as I’m sitting here super unmotivated to go for a run during one of my very rare w/out kid hours, I like the idea of the striiv telling me I still accomplished something while doing laundry, cooking, and picking up the same toys 15 times a day ;)!
Oh my gosh, this thing is soooo cool. I’d love to have it at work, so I could at least get SOME sense of accomplishment when I have to walk back and forth to other departments all day!
STRIV sounds like a win-win situation….helping yourself while helping this beautiful world around us. If we aren’t motivated to do it for ourselves, maybe we’ll be motivated to help others. Start walking.
What a positive invention! I would take my Striiv to the park, woods, and prairies of illinois chasing after my little boys, I would take it for walks to local meetings, instead of driving those walkable distances, and it could hang out with i-pod on my runs! I love that it is a double positive! Good for you and good for the world! 🙂
I would take it with me especially on my morning walks with my two dogs. hi Amy 🙂
Yup, pregnant and needing all the motivation I can get at the moment. I try walking every day, but I would love to be able to to track it. That which gets measured gets done. I’d make the Striiv my daily partner…just during my waking hours. The hubby gets top billing the rest of the time.
Ooh, what a cool gadget! I’d take this on my stroller walks with the girls and dog, trips to the park, playing hide-and-go-seek, and of course those miles of Target/grocery store/Costco walking too!
That’s awesome! I’d take it with me everywhere but I’d love to have it for my runs (ok.. more like slow jogs) with my little man. While his squealing of “Go Mama Go” are good motivators I’d love to share with him where we went and how we helped others along the way. 🙂
I would use this at work as I walk the halls of my school picking up my students for English class. In my mind I’d be walking the streets of Madrid just after dark seeking out the best Tapas bar.
I’ve been thinking of getting a pedometer. This sounds so much better. Thanks for sharing your finds!
Congrats! You’re a winner. I’ll be in touch!
This striiv will go everywhere with me because I am 33, and just had one hip replacement and having the other one in two weeks and it is important for me to walk.. walk.. walk for a good recovery. I am over weight and have lost 25 lbs for the first replacement and must keep loosing. I also have a 10 year old son over weight and this walking game will be good for competion for us both to get healthy and compete together. PLEASE make me a winner !!!!!!
I missed out on this at HSN this weekend… I just had leg surgery and started walking a mile a day for blood flow and this will soo help me walk farther for I am a big gamer… and I want to donate for clean water for all !!!!! Please pick Me !!!!!
Sounds like a cool device. I’m all for positive reinforcement to help keep motivation up. I also think it would be super cool to show my husband the stats of a day, he seems to think it’s a cushy job to be with the kids all day. 🙂
Congrats! You’re a winner. I’ll be in touch soon!
A few weeks ago my little one walked down my (very long) driveway for the first time. I took photos and called Grandma. The next day he did 2 laps up and down and it was still exciting. Yesterday, we walked up and down driveway no less than 38 times. Did I mention that my driveway is very long?? I can’t think of a better way to cure the boredom of these laps, the pain of hunching down to hold a 1.5 year old’s hand, or the guilt that I do not love these laps after the first 20!!!
I’ve been hearing about these on Twitter. I’m totally unmotivated about being active, even though I spend half my day chasing my toddler. It’d be nice to know that I’ve accomplished a cool milestone while I’m keeping my child from running into the street when we’re at the park.