Fitness trackers...are they worth it?

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Replies

  • benebabe
    benebabe Posts: 13
    Thanks for all the feedback! I think one of these will definitely be my next fitness purchase :)
  • Hoop4la
    Hoop4la Posts: 68 Member
    Fitbit changed my life - get one
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    Anyone here use a fitness tracker such as Fitbit etc...? I am thinking of getting one. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, but I want to make sure I get one that works well :)

    Some people find them helpful and others, like me, never used them. it all depends how interested in gadgets you are and if you don't mind wearing one all the time.

    I never wore a HRM because most of my activities do not involve steady cardio, and HRMs are not accurate for strength training workouts, yoga, pilates, and barre exercises. At least that is was I heard.

    Edited to add that I never used a Fitbit or any kind of fitness tracker either.
  • rsoice
    rsoice Posts: 212 Member
    I have a Nike Fuel Band. It's alright but don't feel like it's doing anything that I'm not already doing. It also jostles easily. For example, I ride a motorcycle, after a ride to work the other day it showed me at 10,000 steps already. I laughed. It works for me as a reminder of what I'm about to shove into my face and is it really worth it.
  • ackman2002
    ackman2002 Posts: 69 Member
    I have a Fitbit One and I love it. I wear it all day, Except while I'm working out, I have a Polar HRM for that.

    The interaction they have with MFP makes them that much worthwhile. This site simply cannot accurate estimate what you "normal" calories burned are based upon those 4 options when we first signed up. At least with the daily loggers, like Fitbit, the site will give to (or take away) calories each day based upon your daily normal activity.
  • sixpacklady
    sixpacklady Posts: 582 Member
    bump
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    I have used the Body Media Fit in the past, and I really enjoyed it until I started to have serious skin allergies to the arm band, I cleaned the sensors, and the arm band and finally bought a new arm band hoping it was just that and still had the same problem, but that could just be my skin being a douche.

    I have a fitbit flex now and I love it, it really highlighted where I was having issues - re: I sit on my *kitten* too much, I wouldn't trade it at all.

    I have used HRM's in the past and liked them as well.

    Are they worth it? For me yes, it is really dependant on you as a person. If you need that little extra push to get you moving it might be the answer.
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
    I have two fitbit's and they are really nice. they are small and you can wear it in your bra strap. they are also really cool because you can sync it to your computer and smart phone so you can check your stats all the time.

    My only pitfall and its very specific to me is that I am a derby girl so I skate a LOT and I like/want to track my skating, and the fitbit cant handle that.
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    I have had a fitbit of one kind or another for a couple of years, it has helped me tremendously to keep track and meet fitness goals like stairs climbed and steps taken. It isn't a do all end all, it is a day to day monitor of how much you're moving. I have a HRM for serious workouts.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    Anyone here use a fitness tracker such as Fitbit etc...? I am thinking of getting one. I don't want to spend a lot of money on it, but I want to make sure I get one that works well :)

    If these tools were able to plug in way more values like your body fat %. BMR lean muscle mass etc.. I would use them.
  • dewsmom78
    dewsmom78 Posts: 498 Member
    I bought a BodyMedia arm band after I had my baby so I could figure out how much I burn in a 24 hour period without exercise. Turns out it's right around 2000 per day. So I quite wearing it after about 2 weeks.

    Now I just use my Polar Hear Rate Monitor while exercising and record my exercise using that. I would highly recommend this HRM.
  • SaraBL15
    SaraBL15 Posts: 7 Member
    Same! I LOVE my Jawbone UP. In fact, I've become a bit obsessed about getting in my 10K steps, so it definitely motivates me. Plus, since it tracks sleep (and my length of sleep is horrible), I've been making a concerted effort to GET. MORE. SLEEP. I did a lot of research FitBit vs. Jawbone and Jawbone came out on top. Also, I think it's more attractive than the FitBit ... IMHO. Definitely not a waste of $100. If you go this route, buy it from Jawbone.com directly. Free shipping and if you need to return it for any reason, it's easier than going through Amazon. Good luck!
  • jchurch9
    jchurch9 Posts: 20 Member
    Love love love my Fitbit Flex!! It helps keep me accountable. I have a competitive streak, so adding friends and family turns it into a competition!! By far the best $99.95 i've spent in a long time.
  • TehLaughingDog
    TehLaughingDog Posts: 200 Member
    I have a fitbit one. Personally I really like it mainly for the sleep attribute since I'm a poor sleeper and it really does impact how you feel the next day. Steps are nice also because it really helps you stay in tuned with how active you are on a day to day basis.
  • gspero72
    gspero72 Posts: 16 Member
    My wife and I both have the Fitbit flex, and I know that we both are very happy with them. Is it 100% accurate no, if you move your arm quickly when sitting you will get an extra step, but if when you are walking and your hand is in your pocket, you might lose a step, so in the end it probably averages out. I have my fitbit tied into MFP, and I log all my food and excercise in MFP (but I log the water in Fitbit). I also have the Fitbit scale, so it adds my weight, fat and BMI into fitbit as well.

    I find that because it is on my wrist day in and day out, I hold myself more accountable to my eating healthy goals (generally!!) I use the sleep tracker every night which has helped me to address some of my bad sleeping habits as well!

    Personally I would say it was a good investment for me, its a physical reminder to eat better, get my 10,000 steps in and just being more aware.

    Cheers!
  • rheannaraye
    rheannaraye Posts: 62 Member
    I have a FitBit Flex and I LOVE it!!! I was in some serious denial about how active I really was. I thought I was doing great- and what a kick in the face that was! It helps me to challenge myself, and was something I definitely needed in order to SEE. My average when I began was around 1/2-1 mile per day. now I'm averaging around 3. I'm still working towards bumping it up to 5, but it's hard with a desk job - means I have to be more active in the evening when I'm usually grading papers. (I work for a cyber school). It's been a great tool, though, and is SO helpful! I love that it monitors my sleeping patterns (you manually set it when you go to sleep and have to "wake" it up in the AM). It gives me a full idea of my health -- calories in, vs. calories out, distance walked each day, total sleep time and if it was "restful" sleep, etc.

    Simply put: best $100 I've EVER spent! I haven't taken it off since Christmas except to wash dishes or to shower ;)
  • debsfran
    debsfran Posts: 97 Member
    I had a Fitbit flex. Great little gadget but only for tracking walks/runs. Due to not having a proper clasp there is the risk of losing it, which I did, lucky for me it was lost in the house. If like me you want to track cardio then Polar Ft7 is great. I also use a withings body analyzer for weighing myself.
  • benebabe
    benebabe Posts: 13
    I have two fitbit's and they are really nice. they are small and you can wear it in your bra strap. they are also really cool because you can sync it to your computer and smart phone so you can check your stats all the time.

    My only pitfall and its very specific to me is that I am a derby girl so I skate a LOT and I like/want to track my skating, and the fitbit cant handle that.

    I thought that was a derby shirt I saw in your pic!! I played for 5 years and loved it! I had to stop when I got pregnant and have not been able to get back to it since then. I miss it! I always wondered how many calories I burned during an intense practice :)
  • jtrack3d
    jtrack3d Posts: 91
    I think it isn't necessary, but I have a Flex and it does a few things...
    - It's there like that little reminder.
    - It vibrates when I hit 10,000 steps, yay! I love that pat on the back.
    - It's not really that accurate for anything except maybe running and walking. Other activities makes it hard to know.

    Here is how I use it.
    1. You wear the flex and connect it to MFP.
    2. It keeps a log entry in your diary called "Fitbit calorie adjustment".
    3. If all I did was walk or run, I don't even have to log exercise.. I'll just keep that adjustment as my entry.
    4. If I did something else, like the elliptical with my hands on the handle (not moving and it counts motion), then I log the exact time I exercised.
    5. Since Fitbit knows when you are moving as well as that you are moving, it can carve out the steps it counted during that time frame you logged and replaces it with your "better" estimate.

    Hope that makes sense.

    Do you need one... no.
  • helenarriaza
    helenarriaza Posts: 519 Member
    Fitbit Flex, adore it.

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