Which fitness tracker?

cerise_noir

Hi!

I am looking into getting a fitness tracker that is right for me. I've looked at both the moov and Jawbone up move so far. Basically, I am after a fitness tracker that will monitor heart rate and give me an idea of how many calories I burn during resistance training/body weight exercises, some cardio (kickboxing). I'm not really looking for a pedometer, but I wouldn't mind if the device had one.

Are any of the above suitable for my needs? Any suggestions?

TeaBea

cerise_noir wrote: »

Hi!

I am looking into getting a fitness tracker that is right for me. I've looked at both the moov and Jawbone up move so far. Basically, I am after a fitness tracker that will monitor heart rate and give me an idea of how many calories I burn during resistance training/body weight exercises, some cardio (kickboxing). I'm not really looking for a pedometer, but I wouldn't mind if the device had one.

Are any of the above suitable for my needs? Any suggestions?

Heart rate monitors (HRMs) are designed for steady state cardio, it may help with kickboxing somewhat. Strength training....nope.

You're going to get a pedometer....that's a given. Your activity level will be based on steps. HRMs aren't designed for 24/7 use.

There must be a Jawbone group.......here is the FitBit one (look at the Charge comments & info): http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

cerise_noir

Oh, I see! Thank you for your reply.

Is there any way I can estimate calories burned during non cardio work outs? I ask as I would like to find out how many calories I burn combining both workouts so that I can log... either add calories to my normal intake (if using MFP) or take a certain number of calories off (if I am using eg, IIFYM calculator) when I am not working out. Does that make any sense?

I will definitely check out that group. Thanks again, @TeaBea

jeepinshawn

I love my fitbit charge, the Charge HM comes with a heart rate monitor. I don't think you will be able to accurately log the burn associated with most strength training.

TammyLML

I've got the Fitbit Charge HR as well and love it! As with the others, you're not going to get much of a calorie burn with weight training, though you can set it to record activity and since it tracks your heart rate, you might be able to get some sort of caloric translation from that. Good luck!

JenDetermined

There is one by B1Basis, there is one by TomTom. There are now some by Garmin both with and without GPS. Keep looking!

ROWDYRIDER99

I use the Under Armor App and the Gear Fit wearable by Samsung that bluetooths with my Samsung S5 Active phoe. It has a heart rate monitor (though you have to stand still). Under Armor can track lots of types of workouts. It also syncs with MFP.

cerise_noir

I forgot to mention that the resistance training is circuit training style. Would that make a difference?

jeepinshawn wrote: »

I love my fitbit charge, the Charge HM comes with a heart rate monitor. I don't think you will be able to accurately log the burn associated with most strength training.

Thank you. I do see that now! I honestly had no idea that resistance/weight training wasn't tracked via Hrm! It should have clicked for me... I knew there wasn't much calorie burn with weights/resistance. I'm slow.

TammyLML wrote: »

I've got the Fitbit Charge HR as well and love it! As with the others, you're not going to get much of a calorie burn with weight training, though you can set it to record activity and since it tracks your heart rate, you might be able to get some sort of caloric translation from that. Good luck!

This activity record feature sounds very interesting! I have to admit, I am curious to see how many calories I burn during the day, and the sleep tracking feature has me intrigued.

JenDetermined wrote: »

There is one by B1Basis, there is one by TomTom. There are now some by Garmin both with and without GPS. Keep looking!

I just checked those out! They're very good trackers, but I am not sure if I can afford them. I will definitely keep them in mind, and will continue to look, thank you.

rhondawroberts wrote: »

I use the Under Armor App and the Gear Fit wearable by Samsung that bluetooths with my Samsung S5 Active phoe. It has a heart rate monitor (though you have to stand still). Under Armor can track lots of types of workouts. It also syncs with MFP.

The Gear Fit looks great! Thank you for this suggestion.

lilacmeddow

I just got my Moov yesterday. Haven't had a chance to do much but sleep wit hit on but I'm going to try a workout with it tonight. If you want I can come back and post a bit more after I have a chance to put it through the paces.
https://moov.cc/getmoov/A127B34521

2katlover

I am just starting out with this so I got me the Fitbit Zip. Didn't want to spend a lot of money and then not use it. So far I have used it and I like it. I keep it clipped on at all times (except taking a shower). I clip it to my bra but am wondering if I should clip it to my shoe or pant leg when I do videos and my stationary bike.

rileysowner

lilacmeddow wrote: »

I just got my Moov yesterday. Haven't had a chance to do much but sleep wit hit on but I'm going to try a workout with it tonight. If you want I can come back and post a bit more after I have a chance to put it through the paces.
https://moov.cc/getmoov/A127B34521

I am still waiting for mine. When did you pre-order? I didn't until the end of August and I know the shipping times are related to when a person pre-ordered.

RoseTheWarrior

The Polar A360 just came out. It's a HRM that goes on your wrist. And Polar is known for the HRM accuracy. Actually, it can be pre-ordered. I believe they'll be shipping in the next few days.

Bakins929

rileysowner wrote: »

lilacmeddow wrote: »

I just got my Moov yesterday. Haven't had a chance to do much but sleep wit hit on but I'm going to try a workout with it tonight. If you want I can come back and post a bit more after I have a chance to put it through the paces.
https://moov.cc/getmoov/A127B34521

I am still waiting for mine. When did you pre-order? I didn't until the end of August and I know the shipping times are related to when a person pre-ordered.

I ordered mine Sept. 19th and it shipped Nov. 10th. Have not received it, but it may be waiting for me at home.

rileysowner

Bakins929 wrote: »

rileysowner wrote: »

lilacmeddow wrote: »

I just got my Moov yesterday. Haven't had a chance to do much but sleep wit hit on but I'm going to try a workout with it tonight. If you want I can come back and post a bit more after I have a chance to put it through the paces.
https://moov.cc/getmoov/A127B34521

I am still waiting for mine. When did you pre-order? I didn't until the end of August and I know the shipping times are related to when a person pre-ordered.

I ordered mine Sept. 19th and it shipped Nov. 10th. Have not received it, but it may be waiting for me at home.

Mine shipped on the 11th.

cerise_noir

lilacmeddow wrote: »

I just got my Moov yesterday. Haven't had a chance to do much but sleep wit hit on but I'm going to try a workout with it tonight. If you want I can come back and post a bit more after I have a chance to put it through the paces.
https://moov.cc/getmoov/A127B34521

Absolutely. Very helpful, thanks!

I basically do 20 mins kickboxing and around 30 minutes of circuit training (combined cardio and body weight exercises).

Bakins929

rileysowner wrote: »

Bakins929 wrote: »

rileysowner wrote: »

lilacmeddow wrote: »

I just got my Moov yesterday. Haven't had a chance to do much but sleep wit hit on but I'm going to try a workout with it tonight. If you want I can come back and post a bit more after I have a chance to put it through the paces.
https://moov.cc/getmoov/A127B34521

I am still waiting for mine. When did you pre-order? I didn't until the end of August and I know the shipping times are related to when a person pre-ordered.

I ordered mine Sept. 19th and it shipped Nov. 10th. Have not received it, but it may be waiting for me at home.

Mine shipped on the 11th.

When I got home, it was waiting for me in the mailbox! Yay!
It's much smaller than I thought it would be.

eiyeir

I just got the MOOV NOW and current user of FITBIT and FITNESS PAL, MOOV now is great a personal coach, push you on walks, running, biking, someone that goes with you and really push you recommendations, after one week I have improved my daily walks with metrics.

If you are looking to see if the MOOV NOW to replace FITBIT I will say NO, it is a complement l, I use FITBIT HR for steps, HR, calories burned, burned va eaten, Water drank, and link with Fitness Pal; MOOV to improve activities walking, running , swimming, outdoor biking, waiting for the spinning program on MOOV and better on FITBIT for Automatic Sleep Log,

Love my two GADGETS FITBIT & MOOV NOW and three Apps.

If you are looking to improve your health and lose weight, try also DIET BET to set and reach goals and YES Earn MONEY in the process.

Cheers

rileysowner

My Moov Now has been processed through Canadian customs. That probably means it will arrive early next week.

rileysowner

eiyeir wrote: »

I just got the MOOV NOW and current user of FITBIT and FITNESS PAL, MOOV now is great a personal coach, push you on walks, running, biking, someone that goes with you and really push you recommendations, after one week I have improved my daily walks with metrics.

If you are looking to see if the MOOV NOW to replace FITBIT I will say NO, it is a complement l, I use FITBIT HR for steps, HR, calories burned, burned va eaten, Water drank, and link with Fitness Pal; MOOV to improve activities walking, running , swimming, outdoor biking, waiting for the spinning program on MOOV and better on FITBIT for Automatic Sleep Log,

Love my two GADGETS FITBIT & MOOV NOW and three Apps.

If you are looking to improve your health and lose weight, try also DIET BET to set and reach goals and YES Earn MONEY in the process.

Cheers

Hopefully Moov Now gets linked to MFP.

MeanderingMammal

RoseTheWarrior wrote: »

And Polar is known for the HRM accuracy.

Whilst Polar probably have the most effectiv ECG based HR monitoring they're developing a proprietary sensor for their move into optical measurement. The jury is out on whether they've cracked it. TomTom and Garmin both licence the MIO optical technology, which has been maturing over the last three years or so.

erianswilliams

I looked into getting a Fitbit but they are kind of expensive. The only thing I'm looking for is calories burned during crossfit workout. So I ordered a polar watch. It all depends on what you are trying to track.

livelovebbg

If you're only looking for something to calculate calorie burn during workouts I would suggest a Polar HRM. I used to use the Polar FT4 and was very happy with it.

When FitBit released the Charge HR I ditched my Polar because I wanted a device that would calculate calorie burn throughout the day. I was happy with my Charge HR, but noticed that it sometimes calculated steps when I wasn't moving. For example, scratching my head/playing with my hair added several steps. That annoyed me.

Now I have the Apple watch. I've had it for 2 weeks so I don't feel I can provide an accurate review just yet, but so far I enjoy it. It works well with other fitness apps as well.

Hope that helps!

successgal1

I just bought a charge hr. I don't care at all about number of steps, just heart rate so it works for me.

zipa78

cerise_noir wrote: »

I basically do 20 mins kickboxing and around 30 minutes of circuit training (combined cardio and body weight exercises).

That's basically pure cardio, so it should be tracked fairly well. You have to remember still, that the device monitors your heart rate. While there is somewhat of a connection between heart rate and caloric burn for some known exercises, it is really nothing more than an educated guess and should be treated as such.

If you are trying to lose weight, do not eat all of your calories back, no matter what source the predicted burn came from. For strength training, I don't count anything and eat normally except for one additional recovery shake for the day. I do the same for BJJ, except that I add a pre-workout carb/energy drink in the mix as well. I only really "use" the calories from running, cycling and similar steady-state 100 % cardio exercises, and those I halve if I feel the need to eat something extra after a long run etc.

rileysowner

My Moov Now just arrived. Sadly with an almost $40 customs fee including both our countries sales tax and a small amount of duties.

Bakins929

OK, so I've had my Moov for a while now, and I really love it! It has helped me increase my range of motion, making my running more efficient. The calories are a bit off, but once HRM support is integrated, I think this will be the only app I will need for fitness tracking. Currently I run Polar, Moov and MapMyRun at the same time, which gets really chatty when you hit a mile mark and all of the apps try to tell you about it at the same time!

One thing I would really love is to be able to zoom in on some of the graphs, and a web service to store and analyze all of the data. The ability to export the data would be great too. Not sure what happens if you have to replace your phone, I feel you would start over with no history.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Moov!

rileysowner

Bakins929 wrote: »

OK, so I've had my Moov for a while now, and I really love it! It has helped me increase my range of motion, making my running more efficient. The calories are a bit off, but once HRM support is integrated, I think this will be the only app I will need for fitness tracking. Currently I run Polar, Moov and MapMyRun at the same time, which gets really chatty when you hit a mile mark and all of the apps try to tell you about it at the same time!

One thing I would really love is to be able to zoom in on some of the graphs, and a web service to store and analyze all of the data. The ability to export the data would be great too. Not sure what happens if you have to replace your phone, I feel you would start over with no history.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Moov!

I have only had mine two days. I like it. I have not been able to use the cycling stuff (I don't run) since the weather is too cold for me to be out. I did one of the workouts, they are pretty good. My only complaint is that when I did my workout (bodyweight circuit training) it really did not measure the activity. I worked out about 13 minutes, and it gave me 3 minutes of active time. It was certainly active, so much so I couldn't finish the workout. Can't complain though, as at the moment it does not have software for a workout like that. Hopefully they get their spinning/indoor cycling program done as that will be what I am doing for the next several months now that snow is coming.