how beneficial are fitness trackers?

mom2kateRH

I've reached the 15lbs lost mark, and was thinking of buying a fitness tracker as a reward. but then I thought, what will I gain from it? I already have a basic garmin running watch (VERY basic, does not do HR monitoring, just distance/pace). I'm fairly active during the day on my job--walk around quite a bit, so don't need reminders to take more steps.

do I really need to shell out the money for a fitness tracker? Or would I be better off just buying a good HR monitor with chest strap (gives more accurate HR if use chest strap)?

just curious what people think. and which one people use

BasicGreatGuy

If your exercise is mostly walking, getting a HRM would be overkill, in my opinion.

dubble818

I use a Fitbit Blaze. It looks like a sporty watch rather then a fitness band. I appreciate that. As for benefits, I like knowing how much sleep I'm getting every week. Seeing improvements in my resting heart rate is good motivation for sticking with my fitness regimen. I walk a lot at work and I'm always first in my group of friends for most steps taken. It motivates me to stick with things more than anything.

The HR monitors with straps are cumbersome and a pain in the butt IMO. I had a polar that I wound up selling. The Blaze is just second nature to wear for me.

mom2kateRH

My exercises vary quite a bit. I run ~2-3 days, do HIIT 2-3 days, strength training mixed in there too. I was thinking of getting a fitness tracker with HR monitor to better monitor calorie burn.

BasicGreatGuy

Heart rate monitors (as a whole at this point in time) do not do well with HIIT and weight lifting.

rybo

I've never understood the hype and popularity of fitness gadgets and activity trackers.

MeanderingMammal

mom2kateRH wrote: »

I run ~2-3 days

GPS is more reliable than anything else here.

do HIIT 2-3 days, strength training mixed in there too.

HR is meaningless for this, as is step counting.

Personally I use a Forerunner 735XT, and would judge that the step counting side of things is interesting, but of little material value.

cwolfman13

I guess it just depends...an activity tracker for me wouldn't be of much value...I have plenty of data to tell me what my calorie targets should be to lose or maintain weight. I do have a Garmin 500 bike computer as cycling is my primary form of exercise.

mom2kateRH

Thanks for the replies. I was really interested in it for a better estimation of calories burned during exercise, but I think it may not be worth it. I'm slowly but steadily losing weight without it, and if it's not much use for HIIT, then I guess there may not really be a point.

I just like gadgets and spending money

BasicGreatGuy

mom2kateRH wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I was really interested in it for a better estimation of calories burned during exercise, but I think it may not be worth it. I'm slowly but steadily losing weight without it, and if it's not much use for HIIT, then I guess there may not really be a point.

I just like gadgets and spending money

The mirror is a very good guide for checking progress, and isn't as big dent in the wallet.

mom2kateRH

As is the scale, and the smaller pants I can now wear....

SuperCarLori

rybo wrote: »

I've never understood the hype and popularity of fitness gadgets and activity trackers.

I never did either...then a friend gave me their old FITBIT and now I'm moving *kitten* trying to beat my own records.

It may or may not help with motivation. It does for me.

momofamadhouse

It just depends on what you want it for. I lost over 100 pounds without one. My husband bought me a tomtom spark music for my birthday and I love it because it lets me see the progress I'm making on my runs (pace, stride rate, distance). I personally think it's a little step-happy but I love that I can put music on it and don't have to take my phone when I run. So get one if you want. It's just another tool in the box, but it's helpful for some people.

duncan04

@Mom2KateRH ... tracking calories is a great thing. I think if you get a tracker you'll do so much more because they do more. I've worn several over time. Garmin vivofit, Up24, Fitbit Zip, Fitbit Alta, Apple Watch...and I've given them all up for the Garmin Vivoactive HR. And I couldn't be more thrilled with all of them. I've had several because my fitness needs outgrew the trackers. The latest one is GPS-HR-and fully swimproof. Those were my requirements in a tracker without having to carry my phone during a workout. Best of luck and Great job in your progress.

mom2kateRH

Well, darn it all, now maybe I do want one!
This week and last, I had no weight loss, but I truly think it is because I'm at a different level of fitness now, and my calories burned during exercise are less than they were previously.

I have loved Garmin products in the past. Definitely would like to keep good function on watch for pace/distance. I have my annual review at work coming up. If I get a raise/bonus, maybe I'll splurge

mhwitt74

The ones I have tried don't work for me. They never gave accurate HR and the kicker is that counted walking distance while I was on my riding mower! LOL. I don't even bother with one anymore.

stanmann571

I sit at a desk all day.

SO, I Like the reminder to get up and move.

And it's a garmin with GPS, so it lets me work on improving my pace/time/cadence.

amtyrell

It really depends on you. I am the type where if I look at my fit bit at night and it is under my 11k goal will get up and walk as I need to hit that goal. Thus benifit to me.
But if it will not incentive you to move more skip it.

Bry_Fitness70

I think that fitness trackers are great for people who love technology, data, and fitness.

I have a Garmin Fenix 3 HR, and it tracks my continuous HR, steps, miles, stairs ascended, sleep, and exercise metrics. It is also a watch, altimeter, barometer, compass, has GPS capabilities, and tells me when the sun will next rise and set. It is waterproof and has a sapphire face that makes it extremely difficult to scratch or break. I have multiple customizable watch faces available as well as watch bands that I can swap out; I use the silicone one for running and a titanium one for work (it goes nicely with business attire.) No, I don’t work for Garmin, I just love their products

Having a fitness tracker provides actionable data to allow me to make better fitness decisions (Vo2 max, step cadence, BMR, etc.) IMO, consistency is the most important aspect of fitness. Sometimes the daily pursuit of consistency gets boring and having a fitness tracker tends to make it more interesting.

rainbowbow

I have a Garmin Forerunner 230 and my boyfriend has the Fenix 3 HR (sapphire). We both love them and they work for us personally.


But i think if you've got a general routine down and your exercise level is relatively consistent there's no reason whatsoever to invest in a fitness tracker for the purpose of weight loss or calorie deficits. It's far too easy to estimate your activity level.

What i DO use my fitness tracker for is to improve my fitness (runs, vo2 max, etc.) and get objective data on my fitness. I don't even connect it with MFP at all and don't consider it's data in relation to my nutrition.

firef1y72

I have Garmin Forerunner 35 and I love it. As well as tracking my runs (via GPS) it also lets me track my various classes and workouts and gives me a pretty good idea of how many "extra" Calories I've burnt in a day. I also have a Fitbit Flex 2 on my other wrist for challenges and sites that reward steps, personally I think that the Garmin is more sensible with the calories it gives me than the Flex 2 (and Charge HR and Surge I had previously).

not_a_runner

I like being able to look at my overall activity (via steps). If I'm averaging 5k less than usual, I know I've got to get more activity or decrease calories. That being said, I don't really use it for calorie tracking as I haven't found it to be very accurate. Just overall daily activity.

I've also found sleep tracking to be insightful lately. A few weeks ago I got a notification that I was averaging an hour less per night, so I knew I needed to make sleep more of a priority than I had been.

mom2kateRH

thanks everyone, this has been very helpful and given me a lot to think about. I think I need to really sit down and think about what my goals are--I really want to push my fitness, and I tend to get a little too comfortable in my workouts. I appreciate all the info.

erienneb66

I have a watch-Samsung Gear Fit 2-and while in itself it was not a magic gadget that made me do better, I find that when I wear it I am more likely to get my butt up and do more than just sit around. I like it. I don't use it to log calorie burns, but it helps me with my activity level. It also helps me monitor my anxiety because of the HR ability. I'm not looking for accurate HR measurement, which it cannot do, just a number to chart patterns for my own benefit and it is great in that regard.

Plus, it is a smart watch hooked to my phone which I find nice, I don't have to dig my phone out to respond to text questions or things like that.

JeromeBarry1

I'm something of a Luddite in this respect and see no need for hrms or smart watches or even smart phones. I take at face value the calorie burns the machines give me and eat back as much of those calories as I want. For non-machine exercises, I use various web sites which purport to calculate my burn for that activity. Again, I eat back as many of those calories as I wish. There have been a couple of times when I analysed my net calorie deficit over time and compared the mathematically predicted weight change with the actually measured weight change I did experience. The numbers agreed.

Bry_Fitness70

BasicGreatGuy wrote: »

Heart rate monitors (as a whole at this point in time) do not do well with HIIT and weight lifting.

In comparison to the tables in MFP, my fitness tracker HRM calculated calorie burns are reasonably close for HIIT and strength training.

acbraswell

I have a Garmin Forerunner 235 that has wrist-based HR monitor, activity tracker, etc. I run 3-4 days/week and strength train 2-3 days/week. All the bells and whistles aren't necessary, but kind of fun and motivational. For example, I compete in "challenges" through Garmin, such as weekly steps. I also like that the calorie burn is more accurate than if I were to estimate.

mizchikee

I recently got a Garmin Vivoactive HR, and I really like it. Yes, it's a little step happy, but the GPS is dead on accurate, and I even clocked accurate bike speed - my husband has a Garmin with full bike sensors, and he paced me on a bike with no sensors, so we could compare results. You can also pair it with Strava for saving routes, and (I'm still working this one out), I believe one of the apps you can download MIGHT (big might there), be able to help with turn by turn directions, which is nice for me, as I have a visual impairment, and if I get a wrist buzz to warn me of a pending turn, that would be awesome. I'll have to get back on that little thing though.

juanwilly

Bry_Lander wrote: »

I think that fitness trackers are great for people who love technology, data, and fitness.

I have a Garmin Fenix 3 HR, and it tracks my continuous HR, steps, miles, stairs ascended, sleep, and exercise metrics. It is also a watch, altimeter, barometer, compass, has GPS capabilities, and tells me when the sun will next rise and set. It is waterproof and has a sapphire face that makes it extremely difficult to scratch or break. I have multiple customizable watch faces available as well as watch bands that I can swap out; I use the silicone one for running and a titanium one for work (it goes nicely with business attire.) No, I don’t work for Garmin, I just love their products

Having a fitness tracker provides actionable data to allow me to make better fitness decisions (Vo2 max, step cadence, BMR, etc.) IMO, consistency is the most important aspect of fitness. Sometimes the daily pursuit of consistency gets boring and having a fitness tracker tends to make it more interesting.

I use my Garmin Vivosmart HR+ religiously! Seriously agree with the above info. It becomes a living part of your personality--tracking sleep, all activity, HR, workouts--nearly every aspect of your life! I had a Fitbit Charge HR and it was like a toy in comparison. And you couldn't read the screen outside in the sunlight!

As stated above, actionable data is valuable! Additionally, the new Garmin Connect site for your mobile and your laptop provides you with an overabundance of information about you and your activity history! More than you could ever need! I do NOT work for Garmin either!

Buy one, you will love it!

stephanne13

mhwitt74 wrote: »

The ones I have tried don't work for me. They never gave accurate HR and the kicker is that counted walking distance while I was on my riding mower! LOL. I don't even bother with one anymore.

My Garmin Vivosmart HR counts steps while I'm standing in my kitchen chopping vegetables..

alondrakayy

I say if you have the money - do your research and treat yourself to the best one. But you can reach your goals without a fitness tracker. It's been done before and there's no reason we can't do it now. I have one simply to confirm that I had a killer workout... but I don't track the calories burned. So it seems like a waste of money but for me it's not. It was a gift to myself and makes me happy knowing I had an active day!