Even though I’m a regular runner, until recently I didn’t have any way to track my mileage or time my runs.
I did start tracking my steps through an app on my iPhone, but other than that, I was one of the few runners without some sort of smart watch or gadget to help me train.
The biggest reason for why I never had the urge to buy one or ask for one was because I don’t really wear watches or bracelets anymore. It would have to go on my right wrist, because it would slide off my left one since there’s no hand there to stop it, and I don’t have a left hand to easily secure the watch onto my right wrist.
But earlier this year, I started looking into Fitbits. Some of the bands are styled similarly to watches, but others appeared to just snap into place. Perfect, I thought.
I tried putting on my mom’s Fitbit Alta, which has metal circles that snap into the rubber band, but it wasn’t as easy as I thought. So I looked around the company’s website at some of the other options and noticed one style that featured a wider, rectangular-shaped metal piece that snapped into the band. That seemed like it’d be easier to lock into place, so I decided if I got one, it needed that style of a band.
But by the time I was searching for one to buy, the Charge was one of the only models that still came with that band and had the features I wanted — I don’t exactly need one with a screen, for example, since I can’t touch it and use it. And I could have gotten the clip version, but that one doesn’t have nearly as many functions as the Charge.
Fitbit wasn’t selling the Charge directly from it’s website anymore, and most online retailers didn’t have any in stock either. It was frustrating and disappointing. I thought I had finally found an activity tracking watch that could work for me. But Fitbit had moved on to selling its Charge 2, which had the traditional watch band and a big screen on it.
Eventually, I found a first generation Charge online from Dick’s Sporting Goods and immediately ordered it.
I’m happy with it so far — I have mastered a way to put it on everyday without too much difficulty, and I can track my runs now.
But I’m worried I won’t be able to find anything like this in the future, and I know this will only last so long. It’s already technically out-of-date, and I know if anything happens to it while it’s still under a warranty, Fitbit won’t replace it with the same model. Sure, a newer model is the preference for most people when their gadget breaks, but not for me in this case.
Some of the newer versions have the same band as the Alta, which I could probably figure out with some more practice, but it certainly wouldn’t be my preference.
I’m just hoping that Fitbit or any of the other companies that sell activity trackers introduce a product that can be easily worn and adjusted by one handed individuals in the future. Given all of the technology that exists today, it has to be possible, right?
I know it’s not a huge market for these businesses, but maybe it could just be some sort of band option that could work for a one-handed person or a two-handed person.
Plus, the Amputee Coalition of American estimates that there are 2 million people with some sort of limb loss, and based on the lower limb to upper limb ratio, there could be 500,000 people missing an upper limb.
Those aren’t huge numbers, but again, it doesn’t have to be something that would only be appealing to hand amputees. Just something that makes it possible for us to use these types of products.
In the meantime, I’ll keep wearing my Charge and hoping it lasts forever.
Lindsey Erdody 