I’m going to be honest with you guys. My Get in Shape, Girl workout isn’t going so well. I can blame it on all the random traveling I’ve done lately (vacation = excuse to eat whatever the heck I want), but it really just comes down to the fact that I’m lazy and prefer food that is bad for me.
I mean, that’s pretty much everyone’s issue, right?
So I was looking for ways to bribe myself into thinking exercise is fun. Which as you can imagine is pretty hard to do when you work full-time and have a 6 month old.* However, when I was at BlogHer 2012 I found this cute little guy.
He is the spokes-dude(?) for Zamzee. I hadn’t ever heard of Zamzee before that day but I was given the opportunity to try it out for free. So I figured, why not?
Zamzee is an activity meter that you clip to yourself, much like a pedometer. However, instead of just counting your steps, the meter measures the intensity of your activity. The Zamzee is designed for kids, with the goal of enticing them to get more physically active. There is even a website specially designed for kids and tweens that helps track their progress and has fun activity-based games.
Obviously, I’m not a kid anymore but I decided to give it a try. And honestly, I thought this little meter was pretty cool. Instead of getting obsessive over steps walked and calories burned, it was actually kind of fun to do activities and see how many Pointz I accumulated (yes, they’re called Pointz… which is what the cool kids are into these days. Or is it, kidz and dayz?). You can just plug the meter into your computer and the Pointz get uploaded into your account. Super easy! And I like earning Pointz – it’s kind of like earning a gold star!
I wore the Zamzee to my Stroller Strides class last week and tried to push it** extra hard to earn some additional points. I’ve also been wearing the meter to work each day, which is awesome because it gives me a reason to get off my butt. After I’ve been sitting at the computer for a couple hours I click on the website and pick a challenge. Typically for a challenge, I’ll get out of my office for 5 minutes and just do a quick loop around my building. Sometimes, I close my door and bust a move to earn Pointz. And yes, I totally did this last week.
Zamzee is currently in beta, with about 5,000 users and is expected to launch in the Fall. However, the beta program is currently open to the public and you can purchase a meter for $29.95 plus shipping (there is no monthly cost).
Why buy one when I can give you one for free? That’s right I have a brand new meter to give away to my awesome readers!
I’ve never done a giveaway on my blog before, so this is pretty fun stuff. In fact, I’m almost drunk with power. MooHAHA***
So here’s what you have to do to enter the contest: Leave me a comment on this blog post or on the Pocketful of Joules Facebook page that includes the word “Zamzee” somewhere in the text. I will print out the names of everyone who enters and randomly pick a winner. Let’s do one entry per person, per platform – so you are welcome to enter both on my blog AND my Facebook page. The giveaway closes at noon on September 6, 2012. So get your comments in!
* Excuses, excuses! Do you see what I’m dealing with here??!!
** Push it REAL GOOD… now that song is in my head!
*** That’s my drunk with power laugh. Duh. It’s like in that episode of Friends where I think Ross was doing an evil laugh – there was some sort of blackout and he did his laugh and the lights came back on and Rachel was kissing someone. I can’t find the clip on youtube, but I’m pretty sure it happened in reality and not in my head.
Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post, but I was given a free Zamzee to review. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own and I would never write about or review something unless I actually liked it!
9/6 Update: This contest is now closed. The winner, according to the Random Numbers Generator at random.org is…. Just Keep Swimming! She can now be one of the cool kids with her very own Zamzee!
Related articles
- Let’s Talk about Swag* Baby (pocketfulofjoules.com)
- How to Motivate Physical Activity: Are rewards the key? (zamzee.com)
- Let me tell you about Zamzee (rookiemoms.com)
This makes me wonder how many points my Zumba instructor would get on a Zamzee. She is extremely wiggly, she must do 4 moves to every normal person’s 1.
Yeah, apparently I have a very wiggly butt because whenever I try to use a pedometer I always clock in like 3x the steps I’ve actually taken! And you’re entered in the contest for typing “Zamzee” =)
Thanks for the great review! We love that you are moving more at work because of your Zamzee. Good luck on the contest, everyone!
That’s pretty cool! I need one. 😉 Found you over at the TGIF Hop. Hope you’ll stop by and visit me.
Thanks for visiting! {…wanders off to visit her back…}
I have just started a biggest loser contest with two friends and the zamzee sounds like a great way to keep myself moving! This is my first time seeing your blog and I enjoyed it very much. I will be saving it in my favorites! Thanks
Thank you so much for coming by! Good luck with your biggest loser challenge and good luck on my zamzee contest too! =)
lol well i hope it helps you to be more active cuz girl nothin’ can get me active unless I wanna be else i’m too lazy! lol
ps. Happy Friday from the TGIF Blog Hop! Great to meet you! Looking forward to getting to know you and now following =)
Thanks for coming over from the Blog Hop!
Wow! Your first giveaway. Very cool! The Zamzee sounds like a great concept. I like that it does more than count steps.
Hurrah! First give away!!! Sounds like your blog is picking up!
Zamzee sounds like fun!
I want a Zamzee!!! He sounds like a blast:) Love reading your blogs friend:)
#1 I seriously want a Zamzee because those sound cool and I want to be one o f the cool kids.
#2 I found you at the TGIF Blog Hop. I hope you have a great weekend.
Thank you to each and every one of you for stopping by! If you put the word “zamzee” in your comment you are entered to win. Don’t forget, you can enter for another chance by leaving a “zamzee” message on my Facebook page too. Entries will be included until noon on 9/6. Tell your friends! {or maybe don’t tell them so that there is less competition…}
First day at your blog and there’s a giveaway? Score! Would love to try the Zamzee. So you earn points and give yourself a reward for hitting goals?
Yup, there is a way to establish goals on the Zamzee website so that you’re rewarded for your hard work. =)
My daughter is so goal driven. I am wondering if she would blow up her Zamzee. Would be fun to see what her school day is like as well as volleyball practice and then her weekends. Thank for telling us about this!
Thanks for coming by and entering the contest. I’ll be posting the winner on Thursday — good luck!
I just wanted to post and say we love the Zamzee at our house. All 3 of my girls have them. It really keeps them motivated to get fit. They like the challenge of beating others on the site on daily points and averages. And when I say its time go bike ride or walk they are all for it..They want to get movin! I am now debating if I want to get this or get the Fitbit..I must say this one is more in my price range.. This is actually one of those gifts you want to give out for birthdays and things like that and know the kids will actually like it. I would rather fork over $ on this to my nieces and nephew than buy something cheap that will break or they will forget about the next day..
Hi Cyndi – thank you so much for stopping by. What a great idea — to give Zamzee’s out as gifts. LOVE IT! I’m not familiar with the Fitbit, so if you try it out, stop back by and let me know how it goes. =)