Nike Fuel Band is a wristband with an electronic core and silicone type of surface that can be coordinated to sync with one’s computer and mobile phone in order to provide a measurement of one’s daily physical activities in the form of what is called ‘Nike Fuel Points’. With Nike Fuel Points as the numerical quantification of all the activities of your athletic life, running, walking and so forth, the Nike Fuel band and accompanying free software, displays information in a variety of numeric and graphical ways to provide some very useful feedback. Since Nike Fuel is calculated the same way for everyone, it is feasible to compare and compete with virtually anyone else on the planet using the Nike Fuel band.

The ultimate value of the Nike Fuel Band to the consumer, is to be motivated to get in shape and maintain a reasonable level of ongoing physical activity.

Setting fitness goals & staying with it

How can the Nike Fuel Band help us maintain a regular exercise routine particularly during the long cold Canadian winter? Using the Nike Fuel Band and related software to set daily activity goals, track one’s progress, and then comparing one’s advancement with others who are using Nike Fuel Band  through the social networking apps such as Facebook and Twitter holds the prospect of turning an exercise routine into both a competitive and fun activity. With the ability to view one’s activity information at a glance in the form of useful data and simple graphs, connecting with other Fuel Band users, a person can be motivated towards reaching daily activity goals. Warm summer weather might be an invitation to get outside for a walk or run but cold Canadian winters with shorter daylight hours might require a little more motivation to stay active.

To me, the Nike Fuel Band is kind of like someone looking over my shoulder reminding me to keep moving. Since putting on a Nike Fuel Band, I have actually found myself thinking about reaching my daily goals and taking action, even on some of the colder winter evenings.

The Nike Fuel Band, available in Ice Black or Ice White, is more than a very cool looking watch. With a touch of a button, the LED display will cycle, to show the Fuel Points earned, calories burned and the footsteps taken. I set my daily activity goals to 3000 Units of Nike Fuel Points, then found myself keeping my body in motion towards reaching this goal. My daily results are monitored by the Nike Fuel Band and my progress is then displayed in various forms, such as digital readouts on my wrist band itself, and as graphs on my computer or my iPhone through use of the free mobile ‘app’ software program downloaded from the Nike website. I have yet to start comparing my progress with others on Facebook and Twitter, but this would most likely be my next endeavor.

I took some time to view the online videos provided by Nike and was soon able to make practical use of the Nike Fuel Band once the internal battery reached full charge. Keep the Nike Fuel Band up to date with the occasional software updates and it’s all good to go! Setting up the Nike Fuel Band is relatively simple, however, reviewing these initial steps below might further help clarify the process:

1. Purchase the correct Nike Fuel Band  Size (a 7 inch male wrist – size M/L)

2. Unbox your Nike Fuel Band  – additional wrist band links are included to tweak size adjustments

3. Plug the Nike Fuel Band into the USB port of your computer using the included adaptor

4. REGISTER your Nike Fuel Band on the Nike website

5. Let the Nike Fuel Band  internal battery charge up and perform any recommended firmware updates to the device

6. Download and set up the Software App on your computer and your mobile phone

The Power of Combining the Tools

Pairing an iPhone with a Nike Fuel Band expands the power of each device and beautifully illustrates how much more value can be achieved in using these technologies together. Once the Nike Fuel Band is connected by way of ‘blue tooth’ to your mobile phone, syncing is usually automatic. It is even possible to manually commence a sync between your Nike Fuel Band  and mobile phone by simply holding the button down on the Nike Nike Fuel Band for a second or two. As you move around with the Nike Fuel Band, one’s activities for the day, the week, the month and so forth is constantly being measured. The total distance you’ve gone estimates the calories burned and various metrics which are useful in monitoring your physical activities are graphed and charted. Ultimately the user will be able to view the amount of activity that has been done in the week, the month or the year and compare it over time to determine if one needs to make modifications to a workout program.

Life is a sport – Make it count

For swimmers, weight lifters and cyclists, the Nike Fuel Band may be limited to serving as a cool looking watch because it relies mostly upon upper body movement to track performance. For joggers, runners or walkers, the Nike Fuel Band can serve as a hi-tech informational tool that can be used to motivate one towards reaching their fitness goals. For somebody who is looking to make a difference in the activities in their life, Nike Fuel Band, in the form of a silicone wristband with a sophisticated electronic core, may be just what is needed to get the body moving and to stay on track.