Christmas morning was wonderful. I got to spend time with my family, visit friends I only see about once a year and received special gifts that I had been blessed enough to be given...but more importantly I received a gift that is now a part of me. Enter my better half: my Fitbit. This little gadget reintroduced fitness and a healthy eating back into my life in more ways that one. After just 30 days of using it, I improved my sleep, water intake, physical activity, and overall diet. Before I received this gift I was lost in a sea of overwhelming stress, trying to live a healthy lifestyle all while trying to succeed in a hectic collegiate reality. If you are thinking about getting a Fitbit, maybe my 30 days of firsthand experience will only further convince you to purchase. After seeing my nutrition and physical activity laid out for me in the Fitbit app my first day of using, I decided to make full and proper use of this fitness tracker. I have never been more motivated to stay active in my life. After one month I am genuinely loving being healthy and watching my daily efforts turn into a total success. Here are the reasons why you should seriously invest in a Fitbit:

Water intake and monitoring my diet:

First off, I totally geeked out about the hydration monitoring feature. I absolutely love this. When I was a health nut in high school, I drank about over a gallon of water a day (with zero juices, coffee, or soft drinks). In other words, I was probably the most hydrated teenager in that side of Birmingham, AL. Since entering college, the water bottle refilling stations, or, "Weagle Water," stations helped keep me stay hydrated while on campus, however, my efforts weren't the same as before. When actually looking at my water intake that I had the first day I wore this fitness tracker, meaning I had zero altering of my daily life at that time, I had maybe two small bottles of water a day and food that was processed, fatty, higher in calories, and dull in nutrition. Actually seeing my daily water and nutrition intake as I on with my day made me more competitive with myself and left me asking: what else can I do to make a better me for tomorrow?

The saying, “Abs are made in the kitchen,” is said for a reason. Nutrition and hydration is what makes your lifestyle healthy. You could be the most active person in the gym possible, however, if you are downing a red bull before your squat session and hitting up your local Chick Fil A after you finished your cardio, you aren’t doing yourself any favors. Your calorie, sugar and carb intake all have a significant impact on your daily activity and overall health. Watching my diet throughout the week only further motivated me to see better results. With only a few simple steps to enter in my food intake after every meal, I was on my way to permanently healthy lifestyle. For the past month I have watched myself go from Cheetos and sprite to quinoa protein shakes. I am faster, lighter, smarter, and more energized than I have been in years.

Tracking my fitness:

This one has made me feel so much better about myself even on my laziest days. I used kick myself for not moving and doing more to make myself healthy and be active for at least an hour a day. With the Fitbit tracking my every step, I was able to see that I am actually much more active than I thought. With dogs I am guaranteed to be up and about at least 3 or 4 times a day. With class I am walking almost a mile everyday. With work I am up and about doing tasks for hours at a time. Now seeing the truth behind my daily fitness I am much less stressed. My mental health has improved as I am less hard on myself about skipping the gym. It's not a crime to take the day off and when I look at all the steps I have taken for that day I should feel zero guilt. This tracker has done more for me than any other lifestyle change.

However, when I did start attending the gym more, I was amazed at my improvements within a week. Seeing how much faster I was getting and how much harder I had been going as every day passed motivated me to compete further with myself. I was driven to run faster, jump higher, and go much farther I had gone before. Instead of looking at the fit girls around me and comparing myself their body type, style, demeanor, etc., I was looking to better myself. As one of my favorite actresses, Danielle Brooks, said: "So I realized I'm comparing myself to this woman...Why just two minutes ago I was feeling great and now I'm not? And I realized the reason I was feeling so great is because I was comparing myself to yesterday's Danielle. And today's Danielle is better than yesterday's. And that's why I felt so good." Hearing this being said for the first time made me smile harder than ever. I now realize the way to reach my fitness goals is to look at yesterday's me and not the girl on the elliptical next to me at the gym. I can only make myself better by focusing on myself. Thanks to my Fitbit and Danielle Brooks, I have now realized the key to my own success.

I am woke to my sleeping habits:

That's right: Fitbit even tracks your sleep. When first wearing my fitness tracker I thought it was broken. I had no idea that my sleeping was that restless every night. I was technically awake for around an hour and restless for at least 21 times every night. Everything started to click: why was I always so tired during the day? Why am I so distressed? Why am I so moody? The reason why was my lack of consistent sleep. With this discovery, I took time out of my day to research ways to achieve a better night's sleep every night. After 30 days of healthier sleep I have become a much better and happier person. I am woke to my past realities of unhealthy living, eating, and mental health.

Thank you Fitbit for changing my life for the better. If you don't have a Fitbit or any fitness tracker, I highly reccomend investing in one. Your life will change in more ways than one, guaranteed.