Best Fitness Accessory to Buy?

TR0berts

a squat rack.

and Dana Lynn Bailey- but I'm not sure I can afford that.

You beat me to it.

As such, I'll say: power cage (or similar).

LadyThanata

Ditto on the HRM- I'm obsessed with mine for workouts! It's a great motivator to see how many cals you are burning while you work out. I have the Polar FT4 an it's been great!

I have the same one in Pink- its great! I use it every day when I run, or spin!

But when I started I started with a fitbit flex- Many people might think this is a waste- but for me, it motivated me to walk...long healthy strolls. I made a point every weekend in the start to go to NYC and randomly walk everywhere. Then when i started losing weight, I invested in the Polar FT4. Its a great investment but you can buy it for 61.00 on Amazon... so you might want to use your gift card for something you can't buy cheaper off of amazon.


Just my thoughts!

allbarrett

I too work in a corporate environment, but the slate wristband for my Fitbit just looks like ...a watch? a "Lifestrong" bracelet? Name one of a hundred things people wear on their wrists. I've never worried about it.

I only take my Fitbit off to shower (they say you can shower with it, but my experience determined this was wishful thinking).

If you don't like the wristband, Fitbit (and many others) sell simple step counters that can be clipped discretely to a belt, inside a pocket or even to your underclothes. Just don't forget to take it off before you wash your clothes!

I love my Fitbit, but don't kid yourself: it is just a toy. Sure, it will help you figure out how much you are moving around during the day (to a point anyway) but it isn't going to suddenly fix anything. It is a motivator and can help you calibrate exactly how active (or inactive) you are, but that is it. My next purchase is likely to be a smartwatch...all the functions of my fitbit AND a heart rate monitor AND it will run (some) apps. I'm not in a rush though, that isn't a "toy" price!

1princesswarrior

I'm also hooked on my Polar FT4 and find it pretty accurate. Weight loss hasn't stalled since I got it.

LadyThanata

I too work in a corporate environment, but the slate wristband for my Fitbit just looks like ...a watch? a "Lifestrong" bracelet? Name one of a hundred things people wear on their wrists. I've never worried about it.

I only take my Fitbit off to shower (they say you can shower with it, but my experience determined this was wishful thinking).

If you don't like the wristband, Fitbit (and many others) sell simple step counters that can be clipped discretely to a belt, inside a pocket or even to your underclothes. Just don't forget to take it off before you wash your clothes!

I love my Fitbit, but don't kid yourself: it is just a toy. Sure, it will help you figure out how much you are moving around during the day (to a point anyway) but it isn't going to suddenly fix anything. It is a motivator and can help you calibrate exactly how active (or inactive) you are, but that is it. My next purchase is likely to be a smartwatch...all the functions of my fitbit AND a heart rate monitor AND it will run (some) apps. I'm not in a rush though, that isn't a "toy" price!

I brought mine to Jamaica and went snorkeling twice daily ( included in all inclusive stay) and I've showered with it daily- Never had an issue... maybe yours was faulty?

rhondatime2chg

FITBIT! I rarely break out my HRM but my fitbit is on me 24/7. I also did both one day to test the fitbits acuracy and it was really really close to what the HRM said anyway.

I agree with this. Unless I am doing something that the Fitbit won't track (like the Elliptical), I just wear my Fitbit and do not bother with my HRM anymore. When walking or running, the calories burned were very close between the two.

JoRocka

a squat rack.

and Dana Lynn Bailey- but I'm not sure I can afford that.

You beat me to it.

As such, I'll say: power cage (or similar).

touche- power cage > squat rack.

I hate squatting in the squat rack- I much prefer the power cage.

KimJohnsonsmile

Ditto on the HRM- I'm obsessed with mine for workouts! It's a great motivator to see how many cals you are burning while you work out. I have the Polar FT4 an it's been great!

^^^ Agree - I just bought the same one and LOVE it! I like watching the calorie burn count rise, and it motivates me to push even harder.

phyl303

Hmmm ok, I was already looking at the FitBit because it seems interesting.

For those of you that do use it - do you find it awkward to wear every day? Also, can you wear it other places other than your wrist? I work in a corporate environment and it might seem out of place to wear.

That's why I bought the Fitbit One instead of the flex. I love that I can clip it on and no one sees it. My husband has a flex and I like that I have the readout; he only gets the five lights feedback unless he syncs.

workout_ninja

I would definitely say a heart rate monitor for steady cardio. Or if you are into running or walking, a garmin is a great investment

MeanderingMammal

I was wondering if I could get some advice on the best accessory to invest in.

the recommendation really depends on what you're doing and how you see your training developing.

Mt own routine is running, cycling, swimming and rowing, so for me the HRM is a key item of training kit. I understand why there is a recommendation for a fitbit or similar upthread, but the information that you get from it is very limited. With an HRM you can monitor effects in near real time, and it becomes an input to your training, rather than recording your ouput.

As an example, when I'm doing a long run I use the HRM to track what's happening to me, as it gives me more objective measures than percieved exertion. If my HR is too high I slow down, if it's too low I speed up. I can also monitor my recovery time, which is an indicator of fitness with recovery time improving as I get fitter. I can also use it to track my resting heart rate, when I wake up, another indicator of general health, but also something that'll tell me if I'm overtraining.

An alternative, if you're doing your traning outside, would be a GPS unit, allowing you to monitor your performance over time in terms of speed, distance, response to hills etc.

From a running perspective, there isn't much else, it's a pretty minimalist activity.

But it really boils down to your objectives and what tool is going to help you most. All you're really trawling at the moment is individuals favourite piece of kit, rather than useful advice..

fitprincess4333

FitBit, hands down. Unless you are looking to train for something like a race, the FitBit will do a great job of tracking the calories out side of the equation, and likely much more accurately than a heart rate moniter can.

I used to think that way, but the more and more people I see that are stalled on weight loss using those, it makes me hesitant to recommend one. That being said, I haven't used one so I don't really know. Just seems they overcalculate for everyone. I absolutely could be wrong though.

In reality, I don't think either really matter all that much.

My Fitbit actually under-estimates my caloric need. I never stalled on weight loss, and have managed to keep the 66 pounds I lost off for over two years.

I personally found a tracking device (like Fitbit or BodyMedia) to be far more useful and accurate than a HRM. I actually gave my HRM away to someone on my friend list because I just wasn't using it.

Agree I had a HRM and got rid of it -

MeanderingMammal

Ditto on the HRM- I'm obsessed with mine for workouts! It's a great motivator to see how many cals you are burning while you work out. I have the Polar FT4 an it's been great!

Do you feel the polar is pretty acurate? I just bought a polar RS100 and used it for the first time this morning. It said 420 burned for 40 minutes of circuit training. Does that sound right?

It's about using the correct tool for the job. An HRM is most accurate for steady state work or where the intervals are sustained, it's really not appropriate for resistance training or circuit training.

For me it's noticeably less accurate if I'm doing intervals of less than 400 metre, but it's consistent for 15km runs.

If you use it for the wrong thing it's going to give you the wrong answer. From what you've described that looks too high in terms of assessed measure.

trisH_7183

My usual cardio is 4-6 hrs a wk of water aerobics. Have the Fitbit that can clip on my bra,but what can I use while in the pool. No one seems to have any idea of calorie burn. Thanks

QuietBloom

FitBit, hands down. Unless you are looking to train for something like a race, the FitBit will do a great job of tracking the calories out side of the equation, and likely much more accurately than a heart rate moniter can.

I used to think that way, but the more and more people I see that are stalled on weight loss using those, it makes me hesitant to recommend one. That being said, I haven't used one so I don't really know. Just seems they overcalculate for everyone. I absolutely could be wrong though.

In reality, I don't think either really matter all that much.

Really? I haven't seen those posts. So far it seems to be pretty accurate for me.

MeanderingMammal

My usual cardio is 4-6 hrs a wk of water aerobics. Have the Fitbit that can clip on my bra,but what can I use while in the pool. No one seems to have any idea of calorie burn. Thanks

An HRM will give you some appreciation, although as above it's not ideal for the type of exercise.

QuietBloom

Ditto on the HRM- I'm obsessed with mine for workouts! It's a great motivator to see how many cals you are burning while you work out. I have the Polar FT4 an it's been great!

Do you feel the polar is pretty acurate? I just bought a polar RS100 and used it for the first time this morning. It said 420 burned for 40 minutes of circuit training. Does that sound right?

It's about using the correct tool for the job. An HRM is most accurate for steady state work or where the intervals are sustained, it's really not appropriate for resistance training or circuit training.

For me it's noticeably less accurate if I'm doing intervals of less than 400 metre, but it's consistent for 15km runs.

If you use it for the wrong thing it's going to give you the wrong answer. From what you've described that looks too high in terms of assessed measure.

Agree on the correct tool for the job. When I run I have on my FitBit, my HRM and my phone with the Endomondo app. The FitBit is for calories burned, the HRM is for staying in whatever training zone I am doing, and Endomondo for pace and distance information.

SapiensPisces

I'm going to say "nothing" until you know what type of exercise/training you want to do and what you want to accomplish. No point in spending money just for spending money.

sigsby

I have a fitbit and a garmin watch. Both have their purposes. Each one has given me additional inspiration to keep going and to increase my activity level.

rhoule76

I would say the HRM too. I have a FitBit (been using since July 2013) but got a HRM for Christmas and love it.