Bringing the Nike+ FuelBand to Canada with Simon Whitfield

On Wednesday I had a pretty awesome lunch break. I went on a run with triathlete and Olympic gold medalist Simon Whitfield to help launch the new Nike+ FuelBand in Canada.

Along with another 20 runners, our goal was to form a human FuelBand and cause a scene around Toronto. Decked out in matching t-shirts and fluorescent hats, we did some awesome photos in high traffic areas of the city like Yonge and Dundas square and inside the Toronto Eaton Centre outside the Nike Running store.

For the first time, being short paid off. We ran in order from shortest to tallest with the shortest people being closest to the front with Simon. At only 5’4”, I was third from the front.

It was a gloomy, drizzly day and there seemed to be an inordinate amount of chaos going on: traffic accidents, ambulances, crazy people being rude. But it didn’t matter. We were running with SIMON WHITFIELD in the middle of the afternoon and it was awesome. I was pumped to have the opportunity to casually chat with him as we ran. He’s a super humble, friendly guy and I was honoured to be running with him.

Simon led the pack so he set the pace. While our pace was probably barely enough to get his heart rate up, I was having a hard time keeping up – especially near the end! I studied his stride to see if there were any tips I could pick up. He was smooth, light and easy and I tried to emulate his movements. I’ve got a lot to learn!

Anyway, you’re probably wondering what this Nike+ FuelBand is all about. Here’s the deal. It’s a rubbery bracelet-like device that you wear around your wrist and it tracks your all daily activity.

As runners, we already track our kilometres, average page and calories burned. However, the Nike+ FuelBand tracks all activity. When you think of exercise, you don’t normally count things like your walk to work, or the few flights of stairs you climbed up. The FuelBand counts all this activity and turns it into a measurement called “Nike Fuel.”

Similar to the Nike+ app for running, you can set daily goals for yourself and track your progress over time. The combination of guilt and competition can be a huge motivator in getting active! It also tracks calories and steps, and it functions as a pretty cool watch. It’s a simple design that doesn’t get in the way during physical activity. I wore it during a couple classes at the gym this week and it didn’t get in the way at all.

I wasn’t sure what I’d think of this device, but after three days, I’m hooked. After hitting my first goal of 3,000 Nike Fuel points in a day, I’m totally addicted. I find myself checking it at work after going to fill up my water bottle to see how much Nike Fuel I’ll get for my walk to the kitchen. Turns out, it’s not very much! Realizing how inactive I am during work has made me want to be more active in my spare time.

While it’s interesting to see how little activities add up over the course of the day, I can definitely see how the Nike+ FuelBand could be a huge motivator for daily exercise. You can check out more details here.