By Mary Webb
Look no further than the Geopalz Activity tracker for the smaller fresh air junkies in your family. Our six year old tester, Lucy, stepped her way into the world of Geopalz and really enjoyed it! With various characters to choose from, such as a butterfly, Kit the skeleton cat or a ladybug, kids are geared up and ready to explore the great fresh outdoors. Lucy wore the ladybug and enjoyed the remarks she got from other kids in the park.
There are other reasons why Lucy enjoyed the Geopalz tracker, one of them being the free prizes she can accumulate with points. Among the available prizes are water bottles, gift cards and Frisbees, to name a few. Lucy is working towards a new Frisbee. How she became a Geopalz member was simple!
Log on to the Geopalz website, create an account and type in your steps each day. The steps are converted to points; and, after a time, these points accumulate towards prizes. Geopalz enthusiasts can set goals for specific prizes and all that is required is outdoor play to get them!
You can have up to eight Geopalz on one account, and you are able to monitor each one. There is also the ability to create a group with other steppers in your area, if you so choose.
A newer feature that has been added to the Geopalz website is the ability for the whole family to get involved. Time to encourage mom, dad, sister and brother off the couch by recording their weight, activities and even sleep with their favorite Geopalz user.
GeoPalz use 2-D pedometers that tracks users’ steps throughout the day. The units are large enough to show off to friends, but small enough not to get in the way of that important downhill slide run. There are two options for attachment. One is a loop that can fasten to a zippered jacket and another is an attached hook on the back on the unit, allowing Lucy to attach the Geopalz ladybug on her front jean pocket.
In addition to certificates that are obtained for high stepping, awards are given if Lucy logs in her steps for five days in a row and/or walks 10,000 steps. Lucy enjoys working towards her goals by walking through the neighborhood with her mom.
Weekly discussions facilitate family interaction in this busy day and age. Emails are sent to parents showing the log in history for the week of the Geopalz use. There is also a graph in this email that shows the average. Parents can get involved in this process and share ideas for exercise.
For an overall family experience, it’s a win win win situation. Improved health, activity, family interaction and prizes! Now, it’s time for Lucy to get stepping to win that Frisbee she has her eye on. Making new friends and encouraging others to become involved is great. Lucy has her sights set high. One day when she is a full-grown fresh air junkie, there will be no mountain she cannot climb.