Fitness Trackers Worth It?

kcwyo

Hi! I'm a noob. I'm thinking about getting a fitness tracker as a reward/help to continue progressing if I can consistently track on here until Christmas. Are they worth it? What is your favorite brand/model?

lost4words_ox

I think its worth it, for me atleast. I have a fitbit charge HR. Im competitive so the challenges help motivate me with friends and I found when I was more aware of how many steps I was taking I was way more likely to be more active. Now its almost religious, I need to reach my step goals, I've gotten out of bed to make sure I get them before midnight. I believe it's a big part of how I stayed motivated. I got mine December 12th last year and am down 60.2 pounds since I got it.

MsHarryWinston

I absolutely love my Fitbit Charge 2. I can be a total data junky so I love tracking my steps and workouts. I love that I no longer have to use my timer on my phone when I work out. I basically just love it.

QS82

I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR which, for the price, I have to say is absolutely ace, especially as it's waterproof, so I can just leave it on and forget about it and I only have to charge it about once every 8-10 days.

I use it as a fitness "accessory", by which I mean I don't take everything is says as gospel, but as a general guide, it is pretty good. It's particularly good at reminding me that even on days where I feel like I've done a lot and I can get away with that extra choccy bar, I haven't always!

The best thing about it, for me, is that it's always 'ready to go'. I used to use a Garmin Forerunner for my runs, which I still use if I need the GPS functionality (although some trackers now have GPS too) and I had to locate my chest strap, put it on, get it comfy - difficult with "big pups"! and connect it up etc.. now I just put my trainers on and I'm off! The HR, which obviously isn't exactly accurate, doesn't drop out like my chest strap did either.

So yeah, used as a guide I think they can be very motivating.

nyponbell

I say yes! I had the fitbit charge hr for almost two years and then recently replaced it with the fitbit charge 2, which I love even more. It keeps me accountable - especially on those days when I might not be very active (for whatever reason) by reminding me how much I have burned that particular day (mine is pretty accurate) and making me think twice about that extra treat.

It is also great to always have with you and like above said, it is always ready to go.

(And as an extra bonus, I can keep my phone on silent at work etc and my fitbit will notify me when someone is calling!)

OldAssDude

Yes they are worth it for motivation as well as tracking your progress.

If you are just atarting out i recommend fitbit (Blaze or Charge 2). fitbit has the best app and are pretty accurate too.

healthypelican

I think I actually walk less since getting my fitbit. Depends on you.

Therealobi1

I have a fit bit one.. i have enjoyed many challenges with other fitbit users

kyubeans

I just got a Fitbit Alta HR and I love it! It's motivating me to increase my activity and just be AWARE of how inactive I've been before. Also I love that it shows me my heartrate and sleep cycles. it also connects to my phone via bluetooth so if someone is calling or texting, it lets me know. It's great!

Rerun4733

Worth the price of admission.

My first tracker was a FitBit Flex. It worked very well. I now use a Garmin FR 230 and love it. If you can manage it financially, I would suggest getting one that also functions as a watch and HR monitor, not just a step counter.

The gripe I had about FitBit Flex is they wanted me to wear it on my left arm, which is where I wore my watch. You could choose the opposite arm, but the activity count wasn't as accurate.

The HR monitor is great for tracking the intensity of your aerobic workouts. I recommend chest strap heart rate monitors as they tend to be more accurate, but the HR monitors built into the deice are more convenient, plus they can capture your resting heart rate first thing in the morning.

If you are a fan of outdoor exercise, get one that has built in GPS. I have all these functions (and more) in my Garmin and I wouldn't give it up for an Apple Watch!

mmapags

Yup! For both tracking and focus/motivation. Fit bit Charge HR user here.

saltlakecitywestsider

I have a Fitbit Charge 2 and the matching smartphone app. The app is free.

I love it, but I started to get too obsessive about reaching every goal every day. I've been warned about too much cardio eating away at good metabolically active muscle mass.

So I adjusted my step, stairs, miles, calories, and active minutes goals to levels that I can reach every day. Or I could have simply gotten used to the idea of missing a goal here and there.

Anyway, I enjoy keeping track of what I'm doing. The free app allows a person to get the most use and enjoyment out of the tracker.

astrotrashu

I absolutely love my fitbit alta. It's always been a motivation to walk more to get those green circles at the end of the day. That being said, the alta was a gift but I miss the hr capability of my old charge hr (that was losing its charge constantly haha) so I definitely want/need to upgrade it so that I can get a better, more accurate tdee caloric burn.

7elizamae

Love mine. It absolutely keeps me from being a lazy bum. Nothing like looking at your fitbit on a lazy Saturday at noon and seeing you have only taken 600 steps. Yikes! And I love seeing how many steps I take on a long hike.

That being said, my Fitbit Charge band is currently falling apart. They won't replace it (only a 1-year warranty) but instead offer 25% off my next purchase. I hope the new one lasts longer.

MeanderingMammal

kcwyo wrote: »

Hi! I'm a noob. I'm thinking about getting a fitness tracker as a reward/help to continue progressing if I can consistently track on here until Christmas. Are they worth it? What is your favorite brand/model?

Depends very much on how you're motivated. I'd say they're interesting, but of limited value if it doesn't cause you to analyse your behaviours and how you might modify them to support your needs.

I've had one, various Garmin, for about three years. As a marathon and ultra runner the data integration with my running is of some value. My current version is integrated into my GPS tracker.

nyponbell

saltlakecitywestsider wrote: »

So I adjusted my step, stairs, miles, calories, and active minutes goals to levels that I can reach every day. Or I could have simply gotten used to the idea of missing a goal here and there.

I'm not sure if you want to keep track of it all, but I found that life got so much simpler when I removed all of those trackers from both my fitbit and my app (they are still counted but in the background). I found that the stairs part was especially off (by A LOT) and that kept bugging me, and while my miles (or kilometres in my case) are now far more accurate as my new fitbit has GPS, that was also off and also bugging me.

JessM822

Fitness trackers are worth it. Just be careful that you don't become a slave to it. People tend to keep trying to beat their previous pace, distance, or steps and fail to listen to their bodies. They're addicting once you get going. Tracking your progress is great, but make sure you continue to be smart about it.

amysteri

Definitely! It'll track your calories burned better if you get one with an hrm strap

MeanderingMammal

amysteri wrote: »

Definitely! It'll track your calories burned better if you get one with an hrm strap

Assuming you're doing one of the very few activities where HR is a meaningful proxy for calorie expenditure. In that case, get a GPS instead.

middlehaitch

I tried one for a month, didn't find it motivated me, quite the opposite it annoyed me. It also gave me so few calories if I had paid any attention to it my intake would not have supported my activity level. ( I was in maintenance so knew my calorie needs well.)

This was a couple of years ago, and trackers have changed, but I still can't find a need for one.

Make a list of the pros and cons and decide if one will be a motivating or useful device or not.

Cheers, h.

OldAssDude

I have a Garmin fenix 5x. They go for $700.00, but since I already had a fenix 3HR and the Bestbuy 2 year plan, I got full return price for the fenix 3HR, and wound up paying $129.00 for the fenix 5x.