Information is Power

I have an empowered, ‘smarty-pants’ watch

A stranger is just a friend I haven’t met yet.” 

I love to laugh at myself and with others. I love the unplanned, serendipitous, funny moments that happen. And I love to retell the stories of my I love Lucy silliness.

This particular moment happened as I was entering a downtown building from a side door for the purpose of making my walking distance shorter. When I am in strange surroundings, I have the habit of talking with those I meet (in elevators, lines and when alone with them in parking garages and buildings). It is my way of assessing my safety and reassuring them of my good intentions.

This past week it was with a woman entering a building from the alley in the early morning.

My first efforts are always to be warm and friendly. If received, I share the humor of the moment — though I cannot tell a joke to save my life. In my own mind I am a walking sitcom. I always appreciate the humor and like when I find the lightness in a serious moment.

On this day it was in sharing a long walk with a stranger as we navigated the corridors of a large downtown building. I commented that we would get our steps in this morning gesturing to the new smart watch on my wrist that I bought to give me feedback on my steps and calories, etc. I mentioned that the watch was new and I was just getting used to it. It was a little boss telling me to breathe and move and maybe even listening to me. I am still adjusting to the way it jiggles whenever I receive an email, text or call. I am not so sure that I want to be so aware of all the stuff accumulating in my phone.

However, I did buy this watch to help me with my goals of weight loss and good health. Then I smiled and told my walking companion of an NPR segment that I heard just after purchasing the watch. The journalist explained that there was a Freakononmics association to these new gadgets. It seems that individuals like me, who purchase the watch to provide information on our exercise and weight loss goals, are experiencing results exactly opposite from our intentions — smart watch owners are gaining weight instead of losing it.

I confessed that I, too, was part of this phenomenon.  Apparently, I had unknowingly entered the Age of Electronically-powered rationalization. This is how it works, smart-watch-style.

Armed with the data from our exercise, blood pressure, and calorie burn, we now tell ourselves we have created the counter balance to the ice cream cone or donut we crave. So we indulge in the splurge of rewarding ourselves because we have worked hard and earned the calories to spend on our desire. Our watch supports us as we tells ourselves we deserve our reward.

So, while my watch has empowered me to have information at my fingertips, I must now assert good judgement in the use of this new-found toy. Careful what you do with your source of information.

After evaluating my behavior (yes, my rationalization) I accept that it is back to the basics — ingesting fewer calories of the right food, burning off those calories with motion, and not trading those spent calories my watch says I have earned for my gateway sugar or carbs. One cookie is never enough.

By the time I told my story and bonded with this new friend, we had arrived at the elevators and said our good-byes. As I continued on my shortcut, I reflected on the lesson of the power of information used well and shared. I found it funny, but I like to laugh at myself.

Now, I have to lose four extra pounds.

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“I often wonder why people who drive to the gym,

drive around the parking lot

trying to find a spot closer to the door.”

— Randy Martin

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