Guys, what fitness tracker do you use?

annacole94

I just use Google Fit on my phone in my pocket for step tracking. It also tracks distance (by GPS) for cycling and walking outdoors. It's been enough for me, but it would also work as a supplement to a more precise exercise tracker used during workouts.

ninerbuff

Brocksterdanza wrote: »

I have my old faithful polar ft7 that i have had for several years. The wife has a fit bit. I was wondering if there is anything out there that can give me accurate data like my polar gives me without having to wear a chest strap all day. I know there are under armour, polars, fitbits, etc. Just curious.

Thanks

Well wearing a chest strap all day isn't what the FT7 is made for, so that should save you from doing it. It's NOT going to be that accurate since it's made to monitor EXERCISE.
I have a Charge 2, but I only use it to tell time, count steps and alert me for messages. All units will be just approximations, but most are close enough to each other in calorie counting that it doesn't matter much.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

missmagnoliablossom

mspris2u wrote: »

I have a polar A300 - It does the whole step counting, activity monitor, calories, sleep thing AND you can use it with the chest strap for when you are getting your exercise on. It also has a vibrating alarm (helpful at 4:30am for not waking up the hubs) and you can get notifications like texts and calls (you can't RESPOND via your watch like say an apple watch). I've had mine a year and I love it!

edited to add - The h7 strap I use with my A300 also synchs to some of the machines at the gym I go to. Funny the elliptical overestimates calories burned and the treadmill underestimates. I'm pretty happy to be able to use the chest strap for better accuracy...

Same. I upgraded from the Polar FT7 to the A300 - I find Polar to be amongst the most accurate (I've worn Fitbit, Jawbone and Misfit), it's waterproof, you can pair it with the chest strap, the app is great... the only thing I'm missing is some of the color/gadgets of the Apple Watch and the like, but I can do without that for a much lower price.

ptsmiles

Fitbit Blaze

ritzvin

If your main type of exercise is walking, ie you are looking for a step tracker, than I wouldn't bother with a heart rate monitor.,the equations for calorie burn are pretty straightforward and don't need heart rate. Even for running, the variation between different calculators using the same heart rate data varies more than whether or not I wore the heart rate monitor. It's useful to gauge whether your activity level is where you want it (ie you are training to improve your running/cycling pace or making sure you are working hard enough at cardio) - but definitely not necessary for estimating calorie burn for walking/running. If you are doing some generic cardio (aerobics or something) - maybe you can get a better guesstimate of burn.

ritzvin

iofred wrote: »

Garmin Fenix 3 for me, but that is a multi-sports watch with wrist-based HRM. Also got a Fitbit Surge (retired) which worked really well (and gave me many more burned calorie count than the Fenix )

Garmin 920XT here. I SO want the base-map capability of the Fenix (it's also way prettier)(I was drooling when they came out with the Fenix).

RosieS_1980

I have a charge hr and polar chest strap. They both give me roughly the same data for hr and cals burned for workouts, the hr is usually about 30 cals lower on the circuit training but that's negligible for me. I've stopped using my chest strap now and just use my Fitbit

songbird13291

I am a Fitbit fan. I am currently using a Flex 2, the only Fitbit that is waterproof and gives swim metrics (not a lot of data, but I'm a very casual swimmer). I bought it to supplement my Charge HR, but the HR is dying. I really like the Charge HR, it has a lot of features that the Flex 2 does not have. But I'm not likely to upgrade until they come out with a model that measures heart rate and can be worn for swimming, as I swim year-round.

rileysowner

Brocksterdanza wrote: »

I have my old faithful polar ft7 that i have had for several years. The wife has a fit bit. I was wondering if there is anything out there that can give me accurate data like my polar gives me without having to wear a chest strap all day. I know there are under armour, polars, fitbits, etc. Just curious.

Thanks

Why would you wear a chest strap all day?

rileysowner

I use Moov Now, but it isn't synced to MFP so it is more of a training aid than anything else.

tomteboda

I use Shealth on my phone. I'm intrigued by the Bellabeat leaf because I dislike the aesthetcs of plastic watches.

I found the Google health app to give insanely low step counts.

iofred

ritzvin wrote: »

Garmin 920XT here. I SO want the base-map capability of the Fenix (it's also way prettier)(I was drooling when they came out with the Fenix).

In all honesty, for me the Fenix 3 (with wrist-based HRM) is worth every penny, it is stylish, only requires a charge every 72 hrs or so (with heavy activity) and multi-sport.
The Fenix 5 looks even cooler though, and is available in different sizes

annacole94

tomteboda wrote: »

I use Shealth on my phone. I'm intrigued by the Bellabeat leaf because I dislike the aesthetcs of plastic watches.

I found the Google health app to give insanely low step counts.

It's pretty accurate for me; I did have a Misfit tracker for a while. It does probably depend on where your pockets leave your phone on your body, though. It's obviously less precise than something that costs $$$.

But precision isn't particularly valuable to me right now.

MichaelRow

I use the Apple Watch S1 Sport. It's fun trying to close the rings every day.

YalithKBK

FItbit Charge 2. Incredibly accurate for me (overestimates by maybe 1-2% of calories burned).

swingsnatchlift

I'm a minimalist at the moment. Fitbit One. Polar H7 to use during workouts. I used to use a FT7, but I mainly use Kettlebells and having to put the watch somewhere else was a pain since certain kettlebell moves could smash it (same goes for Fitbits worn on the wrist).

lbaxandall

Misfit Ray, looks really pretty, is pretty basic (sleep, steps, reminds you to move, call/text notification) but it's all I need, I'm not interested in delving into every little fitness detail! I mostly just want to make sure I take enough steps! Syncs with MFP as well.

DietPrada

I use a Misfit Shine 2. I've had fitbits and others in the past but this thing is the best. It's light and pretty and not annoying to wear. It only needs a battery every 6 months, no charging. It's waterproof (I never take it off), it comes with a variety of band types (including a nice leather one) or you can get very nice neck chain items. It tells the time, it notifies you of text messages and phone calls. The app is nice, and it syncs faultlessly with MFP.

jtespy

I"m just getting back online and I have a MisFit Ray. Can you integrate it into My Fitness Pal for tracking...I don't seem to be able to do it. I had a Fitbit and I could integrate that one.