Battle of the Fitbits (and other such devices)
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sheermomentum wrote: »sheermomentum wrote: »What do you want it to do? Do you want to mainly track steps? Cardio exercise? Indoor? Outdoor? The functionality you want will determine the best choice....
Whoops, I probably should have talked about that. Mainly for things like steps, calories, distance, and intensity. I would like something that monitors heart rate, but if a chest strap is more accurate then I may look into getting one of those for that purpose. Basically I don't really care about stuff like GPS, caller ID, sleep tracking and those kinds of things.
Thank you to everyone for your replies so far!
The heart rate monitor won't be useful unless you are doing some sort of cardio exercise that raises your heart rate. That might or might not include walking, but you might want to look into whether the model you buy counts steps or uses a HR-based calorie calculation while you're walking. The HR feature costs money, so why pay for what you won't use? GPS would be used to accurately calculate distance, if that's of interest to you. (It also costs money
). But it would only work if you are walking outdoors, not on a treadmill. Otherwise stride length is used to calculate distance, but you have to actually know your stride length and enter it into your device profile. (I haven't figured out how people accurately figure that out, but I guess they do.) Also, I have found that using arm movements to count steps is very inaccurate for me. I guess I move my arms alot while sitting down, or something. If you think that might be a concern, then device that you wear on your body instead of your wrist might be more accurate.
Awesome, thank you for the info and feedback! I'm extremely new to any kind of activity tracker so thanks for getting into how some of that stuff works. It kind of flew over my head that GPS = calculating distance haha.0 -
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miztessbert wrote: »There are several good videos on YouTube that go through the pros and cons of different activity trackers. I found looking at these to be helpful when deciding which one to buy back in July. Since I was just starting to get active and wasn't sure how useful a tracker was going to be, I didn't want to spend a lot of money so I decided on the Jawbone UP Move. Coupled with MFP it's really helped me with my quest to become more active and lose weight. I may decide to invest in a higher grade tracker in the future when I start getting into some type of training. But for where I am now, the UP Move works for me. Here's a link to one video that provides a good review:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ7Lt7hlvAs
Thanks for the video!! Very helpful. I'll have to look through that guy's channel for more videos, too.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Ahhh okay, that would make sense. Thanks!0 -
Again, thank you to everyone who's replied so far and for all of your great feedback and advice!
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I have the Vivofit with HR and love it. More important than any of the individual differences between brands is the fact that for me, it is fun, and it increases my activity level. The HR monitor helps save my exercise that is not walk related as 'other activity' and I can look back and see how long I worked out.
All in all, well worth the cost.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
I thought that the opposite was true. I thought in order of expected accuracy, it went 1. Power generation, 2. Heart Rate (tho better w/ VO2 max), 3. Time & Distance plus age & weight. But I could be wrong. If you have any references on that, I'd be interested...0 -
I used to use a Body Media armband and it helped me lose my weight. Upgraded to a Garmin VivoActive. It works great for me. What I like:
- Custom apps for workouts (indoor/outdoor walking, running, biking, swimming--it's waterproof).
- Different watch faces and apps you can download.
- The app store has more apps every time I check.
- HRM (chest strap).
- Great website interface and phone app.
- The nudge to move if I haven't in 45 minutes. My whole staff gets up now at meetings and we walk around the conference room until it says we cleared the "move" bar. They think it's hilarious and when I walk around the grounds/building because "the watch said I have to move" they comment on what a good example I'm setting and walk with me.
- I get a fireworks display (the watch face is full color) when I hit my step goal for the day.
- Tracks length and quality of sleep.
- Syncs with MFP.
- I get cell phone notifications on it (calls, texts, fb/twitter, etc). It's much more subtle to check my wrist during a meeting than to reach for my phone.
GREAT choice for me.
Here's a website I used to get me started and see what was out there:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404445,00.asp0 -
I have a Fitbit One and absolutely love it. I had a Flex, but didn't like having one on my wrist, so I switched to a One. What I like about Fitbit is that you can have challenges with other Fitbit friends. I'm in a Workweek hustle challenge every week, and it is very motivating.
At the end of the day, if motivation and more steps is your goal, you can't go wrong with any tracker. I've heard good and bad about all of them, Fitbit included (I did a lot of research before buying one).
My Fiitbit has been a HUGE help in my weightloss. I have it synced with MFP, and if I don't move enough, it takes calories away. So when that happens, I get moving.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »Kimegatron wrote: »I have heard that the wrist wearing Fitbits calculate arm movements as steps. Is that true? I wanted to ask for one for Xmas or my birthday, but I don't want something that will be really inaccurate
Any method of measurement is going to have some inaccuracy. A torso mounted device like the Zip or One has to be more sensitive as the body moves less in movement, so may miss steps. A wrist mounted may measure arm movement as steps, or may miss steps if you're pushing a shopping trolley or the like.
You need to balance how the device measures with your lifestyle.
I didn't think about a shopping cart... Maybe I can get a wrist band fitbit, and use that on my walks, and the zip for every day other stuff. Can you have 2 devices in use in one day, but at separate times?0 -
Kimegatron wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »Kimegatron wrote: »I have heard that the wrist wearing Fitbits calculate arm movements as steps. Is that true? I wanted to ask for one for Xmas or my birthday, but I don't want something that will be really inaccurate
Any method of measurement is going to have some inaccuracy. A torso mounted device like the Zip or One has to be more sensitive as the body moves less in movement, so may miss steps. A wrist mounted may measure arm movement as steps, or may miss steps if you're pushing a shopping trolley or the like.
You need to balance how the device measures with your lifestyle.
I didn't think about a shopping cart... Maybe I can get a wrist band fitbit, and use that on my walks, and the zip for every day other stuff. Can you have 2 devices in use in one day, but at separate times?
Yes, you can have multiple devices linked to the same account.
Are you shopping that much though? Yeah, you might miss some steps while shopping, but it's probably just a drop in the bucket of your overall steps. And you will pick up some extra steps sometimes when you aren't walking (I get some, for example, when I chop onions). It balances out.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Kimegatron wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »Kimegatron wrote: »I have heard that the wrist wearing Fitbits calculate arm movements as steps. Is that true? I wanted to ask for one for Xmas or my birthday, but I don't want something that will be really inaccurate
Any method of measurement is going to have some inaccuracy. A torso mounted device like the Zip or One has to be more sensitive as the body moves less in movement, so may miss steps. A wrist mounted may measure arm movement as steps, or may miss steps if you're pushing a shopping trolley or the like.
You need to balance how the device measures with your lifestyle.
I didn't think about a shopping cart... Maybe I can get a wrist band fitbit, and use that on my walks, and the zip for every day other stuff. Can you have 2 devices in use in one day, but at separate times?
Yes, you can have multiple devices linked to the same account.
Are you shopping that much though? Yeah, you might miss some steps while shopping, but it's probably just a drop in the bucket of your overall steps. And you will pick up some extra steps sometimes when you aren't walking (I get some, for example, when I chop onions). It balances out.
I actually do, lol! Sometimes I will go to the Meijer grocery store and walk around for like 2 hours. I love just looking at stuff.0 -
Kimegatron wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Kimegatron wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »Kimegatron wrote: »I have heard that the wrist wearing Fitbits calculate arm movements as steps. Is that true? I wanted to ask for one for Xmas or my birthday, but I don't want something that will be really inaccurate
Any method of measurement is going to have some inaccuracy. A torso mounted device like the Zip or One has to be more sensitive as the body moves less in movement, so may miss steps. A wrist mounted may measure arm movement as steps, or may miss steps if you're pushing a shopping trolley or the like.
You need to balance how the device measures with your lifestyle.
I didn't think about a shopping cart... Maybe I can get a wrist band fitbit, and use that on my walks, and the zip for every day other stuff. Can you have 2 devices in use in one day, but at separate times?
Yes, you can have multiple devices linked to the same account.
Are you shopping that much though? Yeah, you might miss some steps while shopping, but it's probably just a drop in the bucket of your overall steps. And you will pick up some extra steps sometimes when you aren't walking (I get some, for example, when I chop onions). It balances out.
I actually do, lol! Sometimes I will go to the Meijer grocery store and walk around for like 2 hours. I love just looking at stuff.
Never mind me then! I only go once a week, so I was going off of that. I wouldn't want to miss two hours of shopping either.0 -
I watch TV on my iPhone while walking around my apt. complex. Takes the sitting out of binge TV.
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My Jawbone UP Move has an optional wristband so I can either wear it on my arm or clipped to my waistband - one of the things I really liked about it since I often wear a watch.0
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I like my little clip on fitbit for steps and have a strap HR monitor, a Polar FT7 for my heartrate. It's fun to watch my heartrate during exercise. I don't use it to count calories though. I probably don't need either, but the fitbit is fun to have and synchs with my computer too.0
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sheermomentum wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »
I thought that the opposite was true. I thought in order of expected accuracy, it went 1. Power generation, 2. Heart Rate (tho better w/ VO2 max), 3. Time & Distance plus age & weight. But I could be wrong. If you have any references on that, I'd be interested...
For road and track cycling a power meter is certainly the most accurate, although you are talking about some very expensive pieces of kit.
There's a lot of marketing guff claiming wonders from HR monitoring, but with calorie expenditure you're always taking some form of proxy and using that to extrapolate. HR has a direct relationship with calorie expenditure in a fairly narrow range of circumstances; steady state, aerobic range. Knowing VO2Max does help to refine the approximation though, but equally resting heart rate is a significant factor. Few consumer devices allow the full picture.
Essentially energy expenditure is simply a function of distance and mass, with a factoring for mechanical efficiency. That's why an "always on" movement tracker can give a reasonable approximation, in many circumstances. Whilst not every step length is the same, the error pretty much nets off over the long measurement duration. For me, at 16lbs, I'll burn about 50cals per mile walking and about 100cals per mile running. That's where a step tracker breaks down as my running cadence will stay the same while the length of stride will vary depending on my speed, hence a GPS being more accurate for running.
For walking HR probably isn't, at least shouldn't be, in the aerobic range where HR is meaningful. Similarly for swimming. Cycling is a lot more difficult as much depends on the material condition of the bike, how much it weights and what type of surface one is riding on etc. If you just think it through, the usefulness of HR breaks down quite quickly. On a steep climb I'll be quite slow, but my HR would be through the roof, giving a far higher approximation than actuals.
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Kimegatron wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »Kimegatron wrote: »I have heard that the wrist wearing Fitbits calculate arm movements as steps. Is that true? I wanted to ask for one for Xmas or my birthday, but I don't want something that will be really inaccurate
Any method of measurement is going to have some inaccuracy. A torso mounted device like the Zip or One has to be more sensitive as the body moves less in movement, so may miss steps. A wrist mounted may measure arm movement as steps, or may miss steps if you're pushing a shopping trolley or the like.
You need to balance how the device measures with your lifestyle.
I didn't think about a shopping cart... Maybe I can get a wrist band fitbit, and use that on my walks, and the zip for every day other stuff. Can you have 2 devices in use in one day, but at separate times?
Seems excessive. What I was getting at was more being aware that it's a tool, and has to be used with an awareness of what's actually going on when you wear it.
In the grand scheme of things if I go out for a run on a Saturday morning, then go shopping for an hour in the afternoon, the underread during the shopping is lost in the noise. If it gives a 200 step under-read the effect of that isn't significant.
You just need to be conscious about what the data is telling you, and whether it's meaningful at the time.
Similarly I can do a 60km cycle session on a turbo-trainer in a couple of hours, but by the end my Vivosmart is telling me I need to move as I've been stationary for an hour. It's not useful data in that context.
The other observation I'd make is that in any case step count is not entirely representative in that situation anyway.0
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