Today I impulse bought a Jawbone Up Fitness tracker. I guess it’s unfair to say the purchase was impulsive, because I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but I’d held off because I assumed I’d use the new iPhone to track my steps, once I bought it that is. But the iPhone is just too expensive for me at the moment ($370, gasp!), so this was a in-between purchase. The Jawbone Up was on sale at Best Buy for $64.99. Not too bad.

You wear the Jawbone around your wrist, and it tracks the amount of steps you take and the amount and quality (deep vs. light) of sleep you’re getting. I’ve always liked the idea of collecting data about yourself and trying to “hack” your health to make yourself healthier and happier.

As I’ve gotten into my thirties, I’ve noticed that my body isn’t functioning the way it used to. And not only my metabolism – which is the change every thirty-something seems to mention when it comes to changing health. For me, my body seems to be having trouble digesting the food I used to love, namely carbohydrates. I think it might be a gluten intolerance, so I’m ‘hacking’ my body by trying a 21-day no-gluten diet.

So, I like the idea of the Jawbone because it’s a way to track and monitor your habits, and I hope that it helps me develop better ones.

Have you ever used one of these devices? What did you think?

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.