WINNER! Review & Giveaway! MOV Bands!

Congratulations to Kira with Entry #4 you are the winner of this Giveaway! You have been sent an email with this information, please respond to [email protected] by 9am on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 or another winner will be chosen.

Didn’t win but want to order your own MOVband? Click HERE to check out the selection!

I will be honest, I sought out the chance to do this review!

I was reading an article on CNN Money titled “5 Innovators Fight Child Obesity” and right at the top of the list was this great little product called a MOVband. As a parent to two little ones I am very interested in making sure my kids lead active, healthy lives and learn to value physical activity.

I also love sharing ways to keep the kids Active with all of you!

I found MOVband online and sent them an email telling them how much I would love to test out their product.

Great for me, they liked the idea and sent me a MOVband to test out! It arrived quickly and came with a few key accessories- 2 wristbands to choose from (one white, one black), as well as a USB charger that hooks right into my computer, the MOVband digital unit (where the fun happens), and different colored little bands for the wristband… the little piece that keeps the extra length of the watch from flapping all over the place.

So first, a little bit about the product. From their website:

Designed by a teacher, fitness instructor and mother of three to make exercise meaningful, MOVband represents the first ever convergence of the latest accelerometer technology into a stylish and comfortable “band”.

MOVband is simple, accurate, stylish, durable and affordable. By reducing the normally cumbersome profile of the standard pedometer, and making it easy to use, MOVband offers wearers of all ages an exciting and easy way to track their movement. The water-resistant MOVband not only tracks your daily steps and lifetime mileage…it even tells time.

Basically the MOVband functions like a pedometer. It tracks movements. That being said, we all know that kids don’t just move with their legs and feet- they wiggle, twist, jump and even flip as they play. The MOVband tracks movements, not just steps. Intriqued? I was too.

When it first arrived I set it up (it has you enter age so it can estimate the length of a step/movement)and strapped it on my 3yr old to test it out. I will say, the MOVband fits me, an adult, very well. My husband, who is a big guy could easily wear it as well. It is targeted to kids in grades K-8 and was pretty big on my daughter. But she was very excited to wear her “watch” and wore it for days at a time. I didn’t go into the whole movement tracking with her, I just turned her loose and checked her progress on my own.

I think as she gets a better concept of numbers she will be very excited about tracking her movements, but for now it is Mom’s little secret!

After a few days I tried it out myself. I will caution you, if you use it for more than one person be sure to change the age setting. I left it set at age 3 and couldn’t figure out why I the distance didn’t seem quite right. Pure user error. I also had to convince my daughter that it was ok for me to wear her watch. That was not a popular decision!

Once I got the settings right the tracking seemed much more accurate. Disclaimer here, I don’t have a pedometer and didn’t test it against one for accuracy. But the folks at MOVband assured me that they have and that it is comparable.

The MOVband tracks the time (and can easily be used as a wrist watch), as well as MOV steps, and mileage.

PROS:

• I like that it is worn as a watch and harder to lose! This is an especially great feature for the kids.
• The weight and size were great on me. It is comparable, or maybe just a little bit heavier than the Timex Ironman watch I used to wear.
• It is water resistant. It can get splashed without worry, just don’t submerge it or wear it in the shower.
• It is straightforward. The lack of extra bells and whistles works well, it just gives you the information you’re looking for.

CONS:

• While the size worked well for me, it was big on my daughter (on the smallest sizing she could slide if off) and I assume would be big on most little wrists. I think it would fit older kids just fine but as the target age starts at Kindergarten this is a consideration. The size is due to the design of the display which is a vertical display instead of a horizontal display.
• After playing hard the display unit is a bit scuffed up and has some superficial scratching on it, but it is certainly readable and did not impact function.

I think the MOVband is a great tool for anyone tracking their activity, and could be a very useful with the kids. As many have done with pedometers you can set goals to meet to challenge yourself, or the kids as a part of a group (or family).

MOVband currently offers the MOVband Challenge to schools and groups and challenges participants to move 100 miles in 21 days. Kids love to compete with each other, and kids who get exercise have an easier time in the classroom. With school athletic programs being cut back, MOVband can be a tool to help keep everyone moving.

Current prices are $19.99 for one, and schools can buy an entire MOVband Challenge program. One way schools have been using the program is as a fundraiser, where students get sponsors for their physical activity.

To find out more about MOVband click HERE.

To Enter to win your own MOVband follow the directions below! The winner will receive a MOVband and a colored band of their choice.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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