It’s been more than a year now since I first received a PT Walking from Nintendo to try out with the Nintendo DS that they also sent me to keep. 

Somewhere back earlier in the spring, I broke it or it went through the wash or something and according to the DS this morning, it’s been 243 days since I last checked in.

As part of my post Modern Media Man Summit promise to myself about getting more physically active again, I’ve been looking for the PT Walking product around town.  Last year they were selling for $49.99 in most places.  At Best Buy last night, they were down to $19.99.  SOLD.

So I got one of the two monitors out of the box this morning, configured it to adopt my old profile, and that’s how I know it’s been 243 days since my last walk with it.

My daily goal with it remains at 4,000 steps.  Whew.  I bet it’s been months, save the five days I just spent in the Atlanta Sheraton Hotel getting ready and being a part of @M3Summit, that I’ve even come close to walking 4,000 steps in a day.

What I like most about the PT Walking reader that you can either slide into a pocket, add a clip on so it attaches to a belt, or as my friend Julie Maloney likes to do, just slip it into your bra, and until you hit your adjustable daily target, it blinks red. When you’ve hit the mark, it begins blinking green when you shake it or walk.

And so, my reoccurring question throughout the day to myself is, “Am I blinking red or am I blinking green?”  If it’s still red, I’m automatically encouraged to get off my butt and go make something happen.

It’s a cool pedometer.  You can sync it with your DS and then it’ll show you where your active patterns were during the day.  You can see how many steps that last walk inside Walmart or across the street to get the kids from school was, etc.  And with blinking red, it’s encouragement to make it blink green.

I highly recommend this product.  As a dad who is WAY over weight–remember, 6 yo dd asked me the other night, “Daddy, how come your tummy hangs down?”–I’ve got to get busy and take better care of myself.   Moms, Dads, SAHDs and SAHMs, in particular, it’s hard to ensure you’re getting enough exercise during the day.  I know.  With the demands of work, kids, carpooling, etc.  you need something easy to help give you some accountability.  For $19.99, this product is perfect.