Pedometer/activity tracker..which do you recommend?

shells0715

Hey everyone,
I am looking into getting a pedometer or fitness tracker device. I want to try and reach
10,000 steps a day plus possibly track calories etc with it too. For those who have one of these devices, which one do you recommend and why? I've heard of Garmin vivofit, fitbit, Jawbone and Omoron. Would love to hear some feedback on any of these or others out there or even feedback if you use a regular pedometer. Thanks in advance

version45

Just got a Vivofit and it's great. I'm an engineer, so I'm basically glued in front of a computer all day. So far this innocuous device has been a great reminder to get up and move. I did research on all of the models you mentioned, but decided on the Vivofit for three primary reasons:

• (a) 1 year battery life (Really the biggest reason I selected Vivofit...I can barely remember to charge my phone, much less a wrist worn device with yet another special cable).
• (b) Syncs with MFP, MapMyRun, and other fitness ecosystems.
• (c) Reasonable cost

Summary - I very much like it so far. It synchs seamlessly with my phone (don't ever have to even take my phone out of my pocket.) Not sure if the novelty will wear off in a few weeks, though. I'm curious to find out myself.

Here's a link to an article I used for initial research: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/projects/activity-trackers

shells0715

thanks for the input!

RebeccaMaunder

I really like the fitbit flex that I have. It syncs with MFP. I haven't tried it with other trackers but I do like what I have found so far.

StaciMarie1974

I have the Fitbit One and really like it. Hubby has the Polar Loop, and its pretty nice too.

Some things to think about. Do you want to wear it on your wrist or body? Do you want to see stats easily on the device - or do you have a compatible phone where you can sync/see stats anytime? (The Fitbit Flex for example does not show details - only viewable on a phone or PC.) Does it need to be waterproof, water resistant? Do you want it to pair with a heart rate monitor for cardio?

There are many models, each has pros & cons. Just depends on what you want.

Ftw37

I ended up with the Garmin Vivofit because of the battery life. 1 year. Plus it works alongside my other Garmin devices

fastdumpster

I just got the vivofit. It's a great device but also depends on what you are looking for. This is how I decided:

I wanted an activity tracker with a screen, mainly just to use it as a watch if I'm already going to wear something on my wrist. That already excluded Jawbone trackers which I heard do really good analytics. Fitbit just came out with a new one with a screen (charge) so I considered that one as well as the Garmin vivofit, vivosmart, Polar loop and timex move.

I ultimately ended up with the vivofit because I liked the long battery life, that it is fully waterproof and the fact that I already own a Garmin heart rate monitor helped a bit. I never have to take it off which is super convenient. And it is currently on sale for $70-$80 in various stores online so if I get bored by it it won't be such a great loss.

I was very tempted by all the new trackers with smart notifications and integrated heart rate monitors but decided to not get one for now. I might upgrade to those in the future. I want to first see if those heart rate monitors really work well and maybe also wait for improved battery life in future models. Charging every 2-5 days would really annoy me, plus I would have paid a lot more than for the vivofit ($70 vs. well over $100)