Thank goodness for my new super-duper souped up high-tech pedometer-that’s-so-much-more Striiv.

You see, what with little things like starting up a new website, raising capital for said website, raising twins, writing for my blog, recording with the Blogging Angels,worrying about my neck, I kinda let a few things slip. Like exercise.

Basically, what I am doing now – sitting and typing, is pretty much the best exercise I get. And while my fingers move pretty darn fast (74 words per minute on this typing test), I doubt that I’m burning any serious calories.

But I live in New York.  And New Yorkers walk.  Everywhere.  We just don’t count it as exercise.  Well guess what? Striiv does.

Every step I take – to the supermarket, to pick up the kids at school, to walk the dog, “counts” as activity.  And all that activity earns me points in the included game (a simple virtual world you can add plants and building by spending your activity earned points), or i get trophies or badges.  It also lets me set challenges for myself – ranging from easy to hard.  I can aim for 250 steps in ten minutes (easy) – or for 10,000 steps during the day.(not so much)

And all of it is tracked with charts and graphs that I have become obsessed – OBSESSED! – with checking. “Look! It’s exactly .9 miles to school!”  “Look, the grocery store is a .7 mile walk in each direction!”  It’s ridiculous!  Striiv even knows if I’m walking, running, or climbing stairs.

Striiv says they’re  “creating a movement around movement,” and I am loving it.

One of the absolute coolest things about the Striiv is the “Walkathon in your Pocket” feature, in which every step counts toward a donation to charity, at no cost to me!  I’ve given clean water to a village in South Africa and even saved a little piece of rainforest.  Talk about motivation to move.

Yesterday, including a two-mile plod (I’m too slow to call it a run), I clocked 6.9 miles.  And I was tempted to run around my apartment a bit just to make it to seven. Did I mention I’m obsessed?

So basically, Striiv lets me play games, track my miles and steps, and give back to charity, just by going about my day.

Maybe I’m not such a slug after all!