Active Link, FitBit, Bodybug.. fitness monitor advice.

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mavis2014
mavis2014 Posts: 11
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
Can anyone suggest a good fitness monitor? I know WW uses Active Link. I have heard of a few others such as Body Bug (I think) and FitBit. I really like how the Active Link, lights up as you move more. Do you have to use WW to use it?

I have given myself a goal. Next year in my birthday month, they are having a Color 5k walk, 10k run. I have seen pictures of these events where the walker/runner is covered in rainbow of colors at each mile marker & at the finish line.I am trying my best to get moving more, but I am having a hard time gauging how much activity I am actually getting.

Any insight would be awesome. :flowerforyou:

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  • suelfong
    suelfong Posts: 4 Member
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    There are different activity monitors with different features, so you need to compare them all and decide which is best for your purpose. I looked into Nike Fuelband, Jawbone Up and Fitbit for my husband. I bought him a Fitbit, which he loves, so he bought me one. I love my Fitbit because it is NOT a bracelet and it tracks sleep, which some others do not. I made mine into a beautiful necklace, so it's quite a conversation piece. When people compliment my beautiful necklace, I tell them, "It's my Fitbit!" and show off the wonderful features.

    BTW, you are not likely to be looking at your activity monitor as you move, so you probably wouldn't really see it light up as you move more. Fitbit has a flower that grows as you move more, but I'm more interested in how many steps/miles I'm moving than the number of leaves on my flower.
  • maxie_ng
    maxie_ng Posts: 1 Member
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    +1 for me on the FitBit. I got the FitBit One as well after comparing it with the Jawbone Up, Fitbit Flex and Nike Fuelband. The Fitbit One proved to be the most accurate because you clip it on to your clothing as opposed to wearing it on yor wrist where it has shown to log additional steps due to excessive hand movements.

    The Fitbit One tracks the number of floors you take as well which I really liked. I normally just hook it on to my bra and check my status through their app on my phone throughout the day. It even shows how many minutes you were active.
  • happystars82
    happystars82 Posts: 225 Member
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    i want one but so damn expensive!
  • RedScathach
    RedScathach Posts: 24 Member
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    I have both a Jawbone up and a Fitbit Flex as well as a Polar heart rate monitor for when I do cardio. I prefer my Fitbit to the Jawbone for a number of reasons.

    First thing is cosmetic but the Jawbone started to get pretty rugged looking really quickly, I didn't want to wear it at work because it started just looking beat up. With the Fitbit you can purchase new bands when the one your wearing is looking pretty worn out, I also like the fact I can change up the colors depending on what I am wearing.

    I also found the Fitbit more comfortable to wear, my Jawbone would get caught on things all the time which was really annoying. The fitbit is harder to get on at first - it's sometimes hard to clasp the first couple times, but after wearing it it clasps easily and stays put which is nice. I chose an arm unit just because I knew I would end up losing the Fitbit One, I have issues with keeping track of where I put things sometimes - and I know I would end up losing it.

    I love the sleep features on both the Jawbone and the Flex, both have trained me to get up earlier in the morning which is great! But I really love the software more on the Fitbit, it integrates better with MyFitnessPal than the Jawbone... sometimes it would take hours for the Jawbone to update to MFP, the Fitbit usually updates in an instant. I have also had to have the Jawbone replaced 2 times due to malfunction, both times the units just stopped working - dead.

    Fitbit Flex is the winner of the two for me - the Fitbit One has a few more awesome features than the Flex but I knew that the One wouldn't work for me.
  • juliastarr25
    juliastarr25 Posts: 3 Member
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    Another choice is the body media armband. It seems to have more sensors then all the other devices for tracking your calorie expenditure. I do find it to be pretty accurate. The only problem is that since its an armband, it will show on your arm when wearing short sleeve shirts (You need to wear it on your upper arm). It does make people ask what it is, but I don't mind because It is a great conversation piece. You can view all the data on your cellphone as well. Showing steps, calorie burn, minutes of activity (moderate and vigorous) and your sleep patterns. Keep in mind though you do have to pay a monthly membership after your first 3 free months of about 6.95 per month. Where most of the other devices you get a free account.

    If I wasn't concerned about accuracy (the bodymedia armband having more tracking sensors), I probably would have got the fitbit flex bracelet. Both are approx $100 but I will have to pay for the bodymedia membership monthly after the 3 trial months and its more noticeable than wearing just a bracelet.

    Also both the fitbit flex and bodymedia armband also connect to myfitnesspal so it shows your calorie deficit each day. Helping keep track of losing weight easier.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    I love my Fitbit One. It's discreet, unlike the tacky armbands and bracelets.
  • Karihappy
    Karihappy Posts: 116 Member
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    My husband and I have Fitbit Flexes and LOVE them! It does have five little lights to track how you're doing on your 10,000 steps, or whatever goal you've set for yourself, but you do have to tap it twice to see them.
  • Sklu4k
    Sklu4k Posts: 1 Member
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    I think fit bit is best. I just joined Ww! And thought it would be great but it costs 5 a month to maintain. It's not a lot but fit bit doesn't charge for basic coverage. Body bugg charges too.
  • olivia67rae
    olivia67rae Posts: 1
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    I own the Fitbit One, and I really like it. I can see my progress throughout the day, it tracks my sleep, my stairs... and it syncs wirelessly. I had the chance to try out the Jawbone UP for two weeks, and it was definitely a fun one to try. The app and data collection for the UP is pretty stunning, and the sleep tracking is more in depth. But you have to plug it into your phone whenever you want to see your data.

    Both will connect up with the MyFitnessPal, which is great, too. Honestly, though, I'd go with whatever all your friends have. I know that sounds silly, but it's a good motivator to be competing with your friends. Definitely enhances the experience!

    If you want to learn more about my experience comparing Fitbit One and Jawbone UP, please check out my blog: http://www.skinnyfatlife.com/seven-facts-about-me-and-the-jawbone-up

    Thanks and best of luck with your health and fitness goals! :)
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
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    I have the Body Media Core. I had a FitBit but the BMC is much more accurate and measure all activity, not just steps. FitBit gave me steps while I slept!
  • fatoldladyonamission
    fatoldladyonamission Posts: 572 Member
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    I have a Fitbit One and absolutely love it. Syncs in a second with my tablet and displays all the info I want on it whenever I'm not able to look at the tablet. Only downside I can find is that it doesn't sync to my particular android phone, although they are trying to work with more phones. I'm probably going to get a phone it does sync with I love it that much!
  • asmylie80
    asmylie80 Posts: 60 Member
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    I have bodymedia, I find it very accurate when paired up with mfp. If I add up all calorie deficits and divide by 3500 it is almost exactly how many pounds I lost. It's great! Easy to figure out what to do to lose weight.
  • thefragile7393
    thefragile7393 Posts: 102 Member
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    Another person who loves the Fitbit One....in the research I did online it is the most accurate at a good price. There are other products that are just as accurate, like the bodymedia, for a higher price. It just depends on preference.
    The sole thing I don't like about the fitbit is that it does not count anything under a certain amount of steps...so I could run around all day at work for instance but it won't sync to MFP unless I hit a certain number of steps. I can only sync once a day too. Overall I really love it though.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    Another person who loves the Fitbit One....in the research I did online it is the most accurate at a good price. There are other products that are just as accurate, like the bodymedia, for a higher price. It just depends on preference.
    The sole thing I don't like about the fitbit is that it does not count anything under a certain amount of steps...so I could run around all day at work for instance but it won't sy(321) 610-7175
    FL, USAnc to MFP unless I hit a certain number of steps. I can only sync once a day too. Overall I really love it though.

    You may want to contact Fitbit customer service about the counting issue. Mine counts every step throughout the day. I usually start my day with a negative sync to MFP and I get to watch the number creep up throughout the day.
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