fitness tracker discussion!!

BaddaBingBadaBoom

Anyone know of any fitness tracker that can be used whilst swimming, calorie burn,
have a HRM that doesn't require a chest strap an sleep info would be a bonus!
Finding it all do confusing! I seem to be wanting to much lol!
Any

BaddaBingBadaBoom

Any reviews or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

BaddaBingBadaBoom

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yarwell

On fitbit.com there's a comparison chart somewhere. Accurate HRM needs a chest strap I think.

phouc

I went with the Fitbit Surge but I dont swim. You may want to look at the Tomtom Runner - they dont require a chest strap and do HR from the strap and you can swim in it but not dive more than 50m. I stayed on FB because I like the social aspect of it. It does what I need. Good luck in your search!

Tedebearduff

kecott07 wrote: »

Anyone know of any fitness tracker that can be used whilst swimming, calorie burn,
have a HRM that doesn't require a chest strap an sleep info would be a bonus!
Finding it all do confusing! I seem to be wanting to much lol!
Any

Huge waste of money IMO,

Use the website it's free... why do you need to be that "Accurate" with your calorie burns? Just log the amount of time you are swimming under cardio section. A HRM or a fitbit is not 100% accurate either... a fitbit wont know that you're swimming so I would rule that one out all together. A HRM is just a closer guess to a calorie burn... again waste of money IMO.

Now sure why you would want to track your heartrate while sleeping... the website does all of this for you, you realize that? It accounts for sleeping calories...standing part of the day ... making dinner... all that stuff

BaddaBingBadaBoom

That's great thanks for the info! Going to look on fitbit.com. tom tom running looks good, I actually hadn't looked at one yet!

Kimberly_Harper

I like my fitbit a lot. I don't have the one with the heart rate monitor - I was thinking about buying a separate one of those - but I don't ever have to take it off and while it may not be 100% accurate, its close and that's all I need.

StaciMarie1974

Polar Loop can be worn while swimming: its water proof rather than just water resistant. It does have the option to pair with a heart rate chest strap - but can be used without it. From all I've read, the wrist style heart rate monitors are not as accurate... The Polar does have a sleep monitor function.

I'm a Fitbit One user, but Hubby has the Polar and likes it. I don't believe Fitbit has a waterproof option - but some models are water resistant.

kecott07 wrote: »

Anyone know of any fitness tracker that can be used whilst swimming, calorie burn,
have a HRM that doesn't require a chest strap an sleep info would be a bonus!
Finding it all do confusing! I seem to be wanting to much lol!
Any

Serendipitous_Life

The FitBit Flex is completely waterproof... the rest of them are water resistant. I own several different models and I truly can't say enough good things about the devices/company!!

StaciMarie1974

No - according to Fitbit.com Flex is only water resistant.

http://www.fitbit.com/flex/specs#i.15phmqma85drcw

Serendipitous_Life wrote: »

The FitBit Flex is completely waterproof... the rest of them are water resistant. I own several different models and I truly can't say enough good things about the devices/company!!

Serendipitous_Life

@StaciMarie1974 ~ oops! I thought it was waterproof.... there was something about it that made it safe for water. Anyway, I plunged it in water, etc. and haven't had a problem.

Serendipitous_Life

Oh! Found it... the Flex is safe to be submerged up to 10 meters (approximately 32 feet) ~ the rest of them say that they aren't safe for swimming and are designed to essentially be sweat/splash proof. Anyway OP, hope this helps!!

heybales

And the Fitbit's and others that may be water resistant don't have HRM, and therefore are step based formula for calculating calorie burn based on steps and distance moved.

Swimming is totally invalid use for formula's intended for walking/running. Even if it saw the bogus "steps" of arm hitting the water hard.

Also, HRM's that are good that have self-tests or manual entry of HRmax and VO2max figures are usually based on assumptions of using the bigger lower body muscles - not swimming muscles.
Your HRmax and VO2max will be very different swimming, unless you just neglect your legs and have a great upper body cardio muscles, and enter in your own tested stats.

You aren't going to find anything that works well for swimming as you've described.
Best calorie burn would be a couple of swim sites have formula based on studies where you supply swim stroke, and pace, and time. Much like the most accurate walking/running formulas.

PMB0404

Just a heads up as you are looking at different devices....I went with the Garmin Vivofit because it was waterproof and had the HRM (it is a strap that you wear). What I didn't ask (and should have) is whether your HRM will "talk" to your activity monitor while in the water. My Garmin doesn't because apparently the HRM connects to the Vivofit via radio waves that don't travel through water. All that being said, I can see both points on this discussion. I enjoy the real data that I get from the Garmin, especially when at the gym. Even though it isn't useful (as I originally hoped) for water aerobics, I just log those calories burned in MFP. Do you NEED one? No....but, they are another tool for tracking activity.

BaddaBingBadaBoom

I think the fitbit or polar seem to best option. I have small heart issue so use a chest monitor occasionally from hospital and have been encouraged to wear one daily to particularly keep an eye on my heart rate during exercise so it would be handy to have that and now understand the problems it will have when swimming !. There's lots of things in life I dont need but want , as do we all and this is one of them. Thanks for all the info your help I'd invaluable!

heybales

PMB0404 wrote: »

Just a heads up as you are looking at different devices....I went with the Garmin Vivofit because it was waterproof and had the HRM (it is a strap that you wear). What I didn't ask (and should have) is whether your HRM will "talk" to your activity monitor while in the water. My Garmin doesn't because apparently the HRM connects to the Vivofit via radio waves that don't travel through water. All that being said, I can see both points on this discussion. I enjoy the real data that I get from the Garmin, especially when at the gym. Even though it isn't useful (as I originally hoped) for water aerobics, I just log those calories burned in MFP. Do you NEED one? No....but, they are another tool for tracking activity.

Yep, the ANT frequency 5 Ghz doesn't go through water, the Polar frequency does, so they can read HR. Sadly the HR formula for calorie burn using upper body is wrong anyway, but it does let you track how well you are doing.
Going same HR should get faster, or if limited by speed getting more fit should show lower HR over time.

verdejt

The Polar A300 does pair with the H7 chest strap and can be used to track swimming accurately plus it counts steps/activity and sleep and workouts. It also comes in different colors. Go to this page http://www.dcrainmaker.com/ he tests all fitness stuff and he is pretty unbiased.

whitneyrabbott

I have the Fitbit HR and love it! One downside-no water and mine likes to add flights of stairs when I drive on the highway. HR is accurate enough for me on this but it's better with the strap. I like the sleep monitor, it's helped me to adjust how I do things!

Tearshia

Does any of those trackers work with tablets?

Kate_UK

aistearrealta wrote: »

Does any of those trackers work with tablets?

Fitbit syncs to both tablets and phones, but not all of them, check the list on the website. It does say it will sync with the Samsung Galaxy S3 mini - but this only works on the OLD version. I was very frustrated when I found this out as I bought the phone partly for this reason!!!

jleet83

I have a question. Recently when I put in my exercise it doesn't increase my macros, instead only my calories remaining. It used to calculate how many more carbs I could eat, fat I could eat, etc. Anyone else have this problem?

heybales

jleet83 wrote: »

I have a question. Recently when I put in my exercise it doesn't increase my macros, instead only my calories remaining. It used to calculate how many more carbs I could eat, fat I could eat, etc. Anyone else have this problem?

Viewing mine through the web account - it did for mine.

Are you sure it didn't increase?
Look at a future date with no logging of anything to see what the base values are, then back to day with exercise logged.

If not, where are you looking exactly since there is web account and app.

And since this was topic about activity tracker - are you logging exercise on MFP the tracker is already seeing, perhaps more accurately for calorie burn than what you are logging?

BBBCampbell

I have a Samsung Gearfit which is a great tool for tracking steps (but not much else), however since it is not compatible with MFP, how can I record the steps I accumulate through the day into MFP? Thanks.

jim9097

I have the Garmin Vivoactive and it can be used in pool or open water. Some users have been able to use the GPS function in open water.

kalegria24

Just for giggles I wore my Fitbit One inside my drysuit while scuba diving... Poor thing was Very Confused Other than that, I do love my Fitbit. Have lost 80 pounds using it! Yay Me!!!!

fantinij

I have the Misfit Shine and LOVE it! It doesn't have a HRM but I haven't minded that. It's good for swimming and the Shine is water resistant to 50 meters. It also syncs with MFP. With using JUST the Shine alone I lost 38lbs but now I'm using it with MFP to meet my goal.

Cronniss

I haven't purchased a fitness tracker yet. I'm still researching them.

I had trimmed my list down to two - the Microsoft Band and the Jawbone Up3. I was also thinking about getting the Misfit Flash to use for swimming along with one of those.

But then someone mentioned that the Polar Loop has a sleep monitor. This is one of the functions that I require in a tracker. (I suffer from nocturnal seizures. While this a neurological disorder, it does disrupt breathing and heart rhythms. So unless I want to purchase and sleep hooked up to an EEG, an fitness tracker is the way to go.)

Now, I'd prefer just having to deal with a band to track my sleep...but if the Polar Loop can give very detailed information regarding the sleep cycle, I'd be more preposed to purchasing it. I have heard that the Band & Up3 can determine amount of REM sleep you obtain, but if the Polar Loop can actually show me the cycles that would cinch it for me. From what I understand the HRM will give a "minute-by-minute" report. Can anyone verify this or explain/show what a sleep report (of any of the three) looks like?

Cronniss

Ok, so I've found some images for sleep tracking reports.

For Microsoft's Band you actually receive some relatively detailed information:


This is the report from the MS Health & Fitness app. (Image pulled from The Guardian.) As you can see it gives you the amount of "Restful Sleep" and "Light Sleep" in hours, how many times you wake up, resting HR, calories burned, as well as "Sleep Efficiency." Unfortunately, they don't explain what the terms mean.

You also receive a mini-report on the Band itself:

(Image pulled from Tom's Guide.)

So far I have not been able to find images for Jawbone's Up3 reports...but I would think they would be similar to its predecessor, the Up24.

(Image from Jawbone's whitepages.)

Between the Band and Up(24), it seems the Band comes ahead in sleep tracking since it will give you an hour-by-hour breakdown of how you slept.

Earlier in the thread someone had posted a link to DCRainmaker. I checked his site out and found a review for the Polar Loop. He's very detailed in his review. Here's the image that he had for the Polar Loop's sleep tracking report:


As you can see it only has the amount of time that you've slept. But you can use the HRM and the report it pulls to track your sleep, the only problem is that the HRM looks at this as activity and not as sleep. Here is what DCRainmaker had as an example for a 30-minute cycle exercise from the above review:


Now, from what I understand Polar has updated their sleep tracking metrics and app software since DCRainmaker posted his review back in 2013 (Dec). Unfortunately, I am not able to find any other images regarding the sleep tracking of their product. If anyone has the Loop and they wouldn't mind posting an image of the updated sleep tracking report portion I'd greatly appreciate it. It's this part of the product that is really going to determine whether I purchase the Loop or the Band.

Although I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea of wearing an HRM to bed, I'm starting to lean towards the Polar Loop because it does everything else I want plus allow for swimming. Whereas the Band doesn't allow for swimming, but if it has the better sleep tracking...that's more important for me.

heybales

BBBCampbell wrote: »

I have a Samsung Gearfit which is a great tool for tracking steps (but not much else), however since it is not compatible with MFP, how can I record the steps I accumulate through the day into MFP? Thanks.

You can create in your Check-In section a "measurement" of anything, including one called steps.

heybales

@Cronniss
Perhaps an updated review of new device.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/09/activity-tracker-review.html




You can also join free and see what you would get. Then you'll have your account if you get it.
Should be more help files or displays once inside.

https://flow.polar.com/