How to decide on a wristband or some other gadget?

Vjesticica

I am considering getting a fitness wristband or something.

How can I decide which one I need, or if I need one at all?
What do you need to take into consideration? What do I need to know?

I am pretty old school, I get lazy with apps, and the back-in-my-day Grandpa in me (I'm female, 33, but old enough to remember life without a single gadget) is protesting because it might be a waste of money.
I hope it would help keep me on track.

I am not very active at the moment, desk-job, small child, housework, dog now too old to run with me, but hoping to return to the glory days of actually going out and running and working out.
Weight isn't much of a problem, but I'm out of shape.

On most days I don't even get to a computer, my HTC is all I can actually count on for logging and syncing and what not.

Any advice?

Chieflrg

Most people don't need one at all essentially.

They may get one because they want to hopefully get close on a calorie burn or to find motivation which is good to a point.

Really all you need to do is adjust your calories according to your weight gain/loss and goals on a average over a few weeks.

In your case, I wouldn't unless you are using it for training purposes since weight isn't a problem for you.

FLBeachluvr

I do find that my Fitbit Charge HR makes me aware of how much I sit, especially during the day at work. It's also motivating when I'm close to my step goal to go that little extra to meet my goal.

OldAssDude

They are great tools for getting in shape because...

1. They motivate you.
2. They can record your workout sessions and keep a history of your fitness.
3. You can use the data to monitor your progression and to plan your workouts.

The best ones are the ones that monitor your heart rate 24/7 because they can calculate calorie burns more accurately.

I recommend the fitbit Blaze to start out with. fitbit has a great app and a great community. You can compete with other members in challenges, and it tracks everything you need to track. They are only a couple hundred bucks too.

I have one, but I also have a Garmin fenix 3 HR. It's a much more advanced fitness device than the fitbit.

You can start by doing some research on the 2 items that I listed, and then start researching other devices as well if you don't think these devices are what you are looking for.

Good luck and let me know if you have any specific questions.

CincyNeid

IF you're wanting something just to track your steps something like the Garmin VivoFit 2 or 3. Something like the Fitbit Zip, Fitbit One, Jawbone Up ... anything like that will serve what you're looking for. But honestly. If you're wanting to get back to the "glory days" of working out and running. That's comes from the heart. Not a packaged electronic on the shelf.... Take baby steps to get back to where you were, and once you're committed to running and working out buy yourself a nice running watch.

pneschich

I got the gear2 with my new phone. I like it because the grandpa in me likes to wear something that looks like a watch. The price was right and it does more than a pedometer. I like the fact that I don't have to carry my phone with me when I am walking it's strapped to my wrist already. I can even listen to my wireless headphones from it.

Vjesticica

keharty wrote: »

I do find that my Fitbit Charge HR makes me aware of how much I sit, especially during the day at work. It's also motivating when I'm close to my step goal to go that little extra to meet my goal.

How does it work with water?
Just after I posted this, I saw the announcement for Flex2 and Charge2, so I'm considering one of those.
If I'm still on track when they come out, it might be time to invest in one.

I was thinking Charge, but it says it's not "swim-proof", but I'm trying to see if that means it's not waterproof at all or just for swimming. I don't swim much, so I wouldn't miss the function, but I like to have things I can just wear all the time, showers and dishwashing included.

CincyNeid wrote: »

But honestly. If you're wanting to get back to the "glory days" of working out and running. That's comes from the heart.

I am aware of that, but the heart needs a little push now.
The biggest downer is that my dog, who used to go running with me every time, is now too old. For several reasons it's just not the same without him and that kind of takes away a huge part of the fun.

pneschich wrote: »

I got the gear2 with my new phone.

I'll have to do look it up, because I don't have a Samsung right now and don't plan to for a while, so not sure how it would work with a different device.

medic2038

I have a fitbit, but I don't wear it much simply because, I just don't like having something stuck on my wrist 23 hours per day.
I feel like they're kind of unnecessary. Sure they kind of give people a "goal" to hit as far as steps go, but everything else is kind of inaccurate or easily found online.

MonkeyMel21

I have a garmin vivosmart HR. Comparable in price and ability to the fitbit charge hr but mine is water proof (I swim laps every now and then instead of running). It keeps a log of all my workouts. I had it synced to MFP but have unsynced it because whenever I would do strength training it put it on my MFP newsfeed as "aerobics" and everyone made 80's jokes in the comments every time, lol. The biggest thing I love about it isn't even fitness related though. It's that it syncs with my phone through Bluetooth and it notifies me of texts/calls/what have you. I always keep my phone on silent as I HATE noisy notifications so now I just get a little buzz on my wrist and don't have to either keep my phone on me constantly, or set it down somewhere and constantly check it for fear of missed calls from my son's school (or just in general).

That being said. I lost my initial weight in 2009/2010 without it, just utilizing MFP and map my run as my only tools. I really see this as just a fun, useful accessory, but it is definitely not a necessity.

CincyNeid

Vjesticica wrote: »

keharty wrote: »

I do find that my Fitbit Charge HR makes me aware of how much I sit, especially during the day at work. It's also motivating when I'm close to my step goal to go that little extra to meet my goal.

How does it work with water?
Just after I posted this, I saw the announcement for Flex2 and Charge2, so I'm considering one of those.
If I'm still on track when they come out, it might be time to invest in one.



I was thinking Charge, but it says it's not "swim-proof", but I'm trying to see if that means it's not waterproof at all or just for swimming. I don't swim much, so I wouldn't miss the function, but I like to have things I can just wear all the time, showers and dishwashing included.

The Flex 2 does is swim-proof , the Charge 2 is not.They do not recommend the Charge 2 to get wet other than washing hands...

middlehaitch

See if a friend has a spare you can borrow for a couple of months.

I borrowed a Fitbit while training for a 10km and am so glad I had that opportunity and didn't buy one.

I decided I really didn't want one because-
It was useless for calories, really underestimated.
I really didn't need a computerette encouraging me to walk around the kitchen table 200 times so I would hit the magical 10000 steps for the day.

Lots of people find them useful; I don't.

Cheers, h.

TR0berts

Vjesticica wrote: »

I am considering getting a fitness wristband or something.

How can I decide which one I need, or if I need one at all?
What do you need to take into consideration? What do I need to know?

First, ask yourself why you think you need/want one.

Second, make a list of everything you need/want - or think you do - from one.

Start looking at different models, to see which one(s) match your wants/needs. Read reviews with a critical eye, to try to weed out the paid ones and ones written by competitors. Compare what you find with your budget and see if things match up.

Vjesticica

I would like to have something that would give me a better idea of my activities, but otherwise it's not so much about what it needs to do, it's more about what it shouldn't do and what it needs to be to stay alive with me.

I forget to put something on and then misplace it, so I need something that can stay on for a longer period.
I could charge it at work, but I'd prefer to wear it the rest of the time.
That's why I always get waterproof watches, I don't have to remember to take them off until the battery dies.

I had "map my walk" type of apps, but I have to remember to turn it on, then it takes forever to find the GPS signal to track it, then has problems with the GPS signal, then I lock the phone and it's turned off automatically, and then the settings keep changing themselves back to default... Too annoying, like a bad relationship, I want something that does what it's supposed to quietly and doesn't bother me all the time. Taking it off every time I need to wash two plates and a spoon is already a pain, and that's about as far as I'll go.

Unfortunately I don't have the option of borrowing one.

The budget is flexible to a point, but I don't plan to break any records so I'd like to keep it realistic.

pondee629

I recommend the Garmin Forerunner 210 with heart rate monitor strap. Amazon $80.00. I still use my Forerunner 110 with strap. I only wear it during my runs. It tracks my heart rate, distance, average pace and maps/tracks my runs on Garmin connect. I really don't need a watch during the day. My phone keeps track of my steps, for what that's worth, my phone gives me the time.

For pacing either by time or heart rate the cheaper Garmins are fine. I like the mapping on Garmin Connect, and I really don't see the need to spend any more than less than a C-Note.

cheryldumais

I bought the Garmin Vivofit2 because just like you I wasn't sure it was worth the money. I also wasn't sure I would use it. It has made a HUGE difference in me. Reading reviews it is said to be one of the most accurate ones. I set a reasonable goal for steps and have worked my way up and even won a challenge or two. I had a struggle in the beginning with the software but now it rocks. It was way cheaper than the Fitbit and it has a battery said to last a year. I've had mine since February and it's still going strong. I would highly recommend it. Here in Canada I found it at the Source but I also see that Costco is now carrying the Vivofit HR. I think that one has to be plugged in but it's worth checking out. By the way I'm down 53 pounds and some of those pounds are due to getting off my butt and walking. I am not currently doing any other exercise but this has really made a difference for me.

NorthCascades

Vjesticica wrote: »

I would like to have something that would give me a better idea of my activities, but otherwise it's not so much about what it needs to do, it's more about what it shouldn't do and what it needs to be to stay alive with me.

I had my (Garmin) Fenix 3 on my (left) wrist when I got hit (on my left side) by a car (going 35 to 40 mph) as I was doing hill repeats on my bike. Almost a year ago now. I spent a day at the emergency room getting CT scans. My watch is as good as new. The battery lasts about a week with a lot of GPS use. It has a swim mode, among other things it records a map of where I swam. The watch is fairly good looking, but not cheap.

Timothyh27

I got a Garmin Vivofit to see if I would like it recording all my data and to see how accurate it would be and possibly look at getting a higher end model. I've had a Garmin running watch in the past with GPS and that was very accurate.
Garmin Connect is much better when logged into their site.

Its quite cool, I have family that have a fitbit though and have seen how they work, so I would recommend a fitbit as the app is better.

Vjesticica

Thanks everyone.
I'll do some comparing and see.