I'd Rather Do It The Old Fashioned Way

I was at Weight Watchers a few weeks ago and our leader, Beverly, introduced us to a new "tool"  to help us evaluate our fitness level.  It's a gimmick you can buy for $39.95, then pay $5 per month to have internet access to the program.  Here's what it does.  It tracks your movements, back and forth, up and down, for 8 days, then determines your fitness level.  Once your fitness level has been determined it sets up a program for you to either maintain your fitness level or challenge yourself.  You wear this small piece of equipment around your neck for 8 days, something like a pedometer.  However, this measures things like cycling, step class and weight lifting, not just walking.  Great.  Yes, it's a nice tool, but do we reallly need this to know if we're in shape or not?  I think most of us know our fitness level.  We don't need this tool to tell us.

I began this blog to say that the old fashioned way of doing things is often easier, and as efficient, as the new way.  Take the Weight Watchers way of tracking what you've eaten each day.  Back in the day we used to have a little journal into which we wrote everything we ate each day.  Today, journaling is done on line.  It takes me twice as long and is half as accurate as the old way, and I hate it.  It's so much easier to just write down what you eat each day.  No computer necessary.  Another Weight Watchers tool from years ago, is a simple scale that sits on the counter, used to weigh and measure food.  I still have mine from over 20 years ago.  Today the Weight Watchers scale looks like a bathroom scale, it's expensive and does the same thing.  Also, we used to have a little cardboard card that would measure the fat and fiber and points of each food.  No more.  Now you have to purchase Weight Watchers  on line to have access to this information.  Everything is more expensive, more complicated and definitely not any better.  They are in the business of making money, and these new features are definitely making them  money.

Another old fashioned way that I can't seem to break is the way I keep a calendar.  Ever since Blackberry's came on the scene I have tried and tried to get used to keeping dates and appointments in an electronic book.  It just doesn't work for me.  I have a month by month calendar on my desk which allows me to see what the whole week and month look like.  It's just so much easier for me, and believe me, I've tried to convert. 

Help me out.  I'm trying to compile a list of things that we find easier and more efficient to do the old fashioned way.  There are many, and although I'm a huge fan of technology, for some things simpler is better.  I wouldn't give up my computer for anything.  I use it in so many ways and it has made our life simpler and more efficient.  However, with texting, e-mailing and messaging at an all time high, there's nothing that quite replaces a voice at the other end of the phone.