Fitness Trackers

kyleliermann

Does anyone have experience with fitness trackers? I am trying to narrow down which type I would like to purchase. I used to have body media which was extremely accurate however the monthly fee seemed to not be worth what I was using it for.

Now I cant seem to find any product that tracks heart rate 24 hours a day.

What trackers are people using and which would you suggest.

Thanks for your input!

missieuk

The Fitbit HR Tracks your heart rate, sleep, steps, calories ect. Been using mine for 2 months and love it.

kyleliermann

Does it just track heart rate when you want it to or will it track heart rate all day?

MeanderingMammal

kyleliermann wrote: »

Now I cant seem to find any product that tracks heart rate 24 hours a day.

What do you want that for? Is there a medical condition that you need to track?

kyleliermann

quote]

What do you want that for? Is there a medical condition that you need to track?

[/quote]

No I just had Hip surgery so I cant really do any cardio activities so I need to watch my calories tighter and I don't know what I am burning during the day right now. So I would like to monitor my heart rate doing my day to day so I can see where I am at.

Then I will continue to use it of course

MeanderingMammal

kyleliermann wrote: »

No I just had Hip surgery so I cant really do any cardio activities so I need to watch my calories tighter and I don't know what I am burning during the day right now. So I would like to monitor my heart rate doing my day to day so I can see where I am at.

OK, I understand.

Heart Rate is only a useful indicator of calorie expenditure in a fairly limited set of circumstances, and to be honest any that claim to do all day HR monitoring are largely driven by marketing nonsense. A straightforward pedometer based approach will be as accurate as you need, in fact more accurate than all day HR monitoring.

From my perspective, brand isn't that important as they all have similar functionality

chelledawg14

I have used the Polar FT40 HRM since 2012 for all cardio. In 2013 I added the Fitbit One & instantly became addicted to watching how many steps I took in a day. However, after losing my third one two months ago, I invested in the Fitbit Charge HR and I LOVE it. It was definitely worth the $149.99 I paid for it. It tracks your heart rate whenever you are wearing it. I do take it off several times a week during the night and use that time to charge it (it doesn't stay charged as long as the One did); I get about three days from one charge. I had read so many people say the heart rate wasn't accurate, so I have done my own "testing". I wear the HRM AND the Charge HR while doing zumba, while walking, while doing ANY cardio and guess what? The heart rates match up 99.9% of the time. With that said, as long as you can stand having something on your wrist all the time, I would recommend the Charge HR rather than purchasing a HRM. The Charge HR fits snug on my wrist unlike the other models and other tracker types; it's like a watch strap so it can't fall off. Oh, and the ONLY time I've seen a difference in heart rates is as soon as I start out cardio, the Charge HR is maybe 4 off (114 vs 118) until it catches up within a minute.

missieuk

Yes it tracks 24/7 unless I have it on charge or in the shower.

kyleliermann

Ok I appreciate the information and assistance so as of right now I have it down to either the Gear S or the Fitbit Charger...

now I want to find someone who has the Gear S, the reviews on amazon make it sound great but I still need to justify spending $300 :S

lauramillat

I love my Fitbit Charge HR! The only gripe I have is that sometimes during weight lifting, it has trouble tracking my HR.

Fitbit says that it is because of the muscles and bones moving beneath the fitbit causing it to be too tight (and from sweating too), altering how it can sense. What I have done to counteract that is wear it as big as I can and move it up higher on my arm. I also keep it looser than normal wear, that way when muscles flex and move underneath it, it will not get too tight so that it wont track. Every once in a while between sets I will have to wipe sweat off from the band and my arm.

I know that sounds like a lot of gripes, but I really love it! Having all day HR info is very important to me!

kyleliermann

I ordered the Charge thanks for the assistance everyone.

MeanderingMammal

chelledawg14 wrote: »

I wear the HRM AND the Charge HR while doing zumba, while walking, while doing ANY cardio and guess what? The heart rates match up 99.9% of the time.

I think you've missed the point of saying that HR isn't accurate.

When one is looking at calories expended, HR is only a reliable indicator in a fairly limited set of circumstances.

As far as HR measurement is concerned, wrist based and chest based are within adequate margins of one another.

kodijhill

OK im looking into a fitness tracker something that tracks cardio weight lifting and swimming im having a terrible time deciding which will be best ive had the fitbit ultra and body fit liked them both

Noodle797

I have the Garmin VivoSmart, which is waterproof up to 50M and will track your heartrate if you use it with the chest band. I've been using mine for about 2 months now & I really like it. It needs to be charged about once a week, but it charges pretty quickly. Very user friendly.

editorgrrl

kodijhill wrote: »

OK im looking into a fitness tracker something that tracks cardio weight lifting and swimming im having a terrible time deciding which will be best ive had the fitbit ultra and body fit liked them both

Nothing can accurately track lifting, and no Fitbits track swimming. You have to log it—either in Fitbit (that's what I do) or in MFP.

Fitbit challenges are great motivation—and fun. You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users