Fitbit Zip for home workouts?

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enn_jay
enn_jay Posts: 16
in Fitness and Exercise
Would you recommend it? I'm doing quite a few home workout DVDs and was thinking about getting a Zip to track how many calories I'm burning, but it know it mostly counts distance right?. I also work retail and it would be fun to count my steps :P a couple of my coworkers have the Flex and have talked me into joining them but I hate having stuff on my wrist so I was looking into the Zip

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  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    It depends what your home workouts are. It'll do fine with aerobics, walking, running, dancing, things like that. It won't do well with anything with resistance (weights, yoga, body weight exercises like push ups and squats) or 'vehicles' like biking or a rebounder.

    I think the Zip would be fun for you in retail. I like the clip-ons better, too.
  • enn_jay
    enn_jay Posts: 16
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    It depends what your home workouts are. It'll do fine with aerobics, walking, running, dancing, things like that. It won't do well with anything with resistance (weights, yoga, body weight exercises like push ups and squats) or 'vehicles' like biking or a rebounder.

    I think the Zip would be fun for you in retail. I like the clip-ons better, too.

    I'm doing the 30 day shred and then ripped in 30, that's weight exercise :(

    that's a bummer if it doesn't work, I wish I could know how much I burn
  • 007Charlette
    007Charlette Posts: 27 Member
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    since you do a lot of retail walking i'd suggest a pedometer that tracks calories and pocket the $50 saved from avoiding the zip. I also do a lot of wii fit workouts, wii yoga and those types of things and feel the my fitness pal has a lot of user added inputs that help finish the exercise inputs. But for actual reflection and motivation i would bypass the zip unless you just want to be part of the bandwagon..I have one and wished I had someone who would have suggest my advice to you.. In my opinion the zip is an overpriced pedometer..
  • enn_jay
    enn_jay Posts: 16
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    thank you! yeah I wanted to join the fun but my pocket doesn't like the idea :P

    will look into pedometers instead, thank you!
  • codycsweet
    codycsweet Posts: 1,019 Member
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    I've had a zip for over a year and love it. It's very motivating and when I did 30 day shred the zip calories and my hrm were close to the same calorie burn. I know others have stated it was off for them but for me it's motivation to move and I tried a pedometer work bought cheap ones for us and they SUCKED. Made me appreciate my Fitbit. People either love them or not. It's a tool and for me an awesome gadget.
  • enn_jay
    enn_jay Posts: 16
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    I've had a zip for over a year and love it. It's very motivating and when I did 30 day shred the zip calories and my hrm were close to the same calorie burn. I know others have stated it was off for them but for me it's motivation to move and I tried a pedometer work bought cheap ones for us and they SUCKED. Made me appreciate my Fitbit. People either love them or not. It's a tool and for me an awesome gadget.

    haha so it works? I thought it wouldn't track anything at all if I don't move. I honestly don't even know how those things work
  • torichantel2005
    torichantel2005 Posts: 42 Member
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    I've heard that HRM do not at all accurately account for strength training calories burned. If you are going to do consistent cardio where your heart rate stays up, that's when HRM work well. I NEVER use my FitBit to track calories burned, because I don't trust it. I don't know how it can possibly be accurate when it's not a HRM. In my experience, MyFitnessPal suggested burned calories are always VERY low from what my HRM tells me I burn, so when I do weight training, I just use the estimation on MyFitnessPal. Worst case scenario is that I'm burning more than it thinks I should be, so I go with it.

    All that being said, I LOVE my FitBit. It motivates me to move more. Before my FitBit, I bet I was getting 5,000 steps a day on average, I now get at least 10,000 almost every single day, and some days I have 15,000 or more.

    ETA: I wouldn't get the Zip. I have the One, and while it's a little pricier, it has some pretty cool features.
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
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    The entire FitBit line really measures steps/distance and stairs. While it reports a calorie burn, that burn (as I understand it) is solely based on the steps you've taken. While it may be fun to see how many steps with a Zip...if you really want to measure calories burned with all activities get a HRM.

    BTW, I have a flex and while I like it, I do question it's accuracy.
  • torichantel2005
    torichantel2005 Posts: 42 Member
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    The entire FitBit line really measures steps/distance and stairs. While it reports a calorie burn, that burn (as I understand it) is solely based on the steps you've taken. While it may be fun to see how many steps with a Zip...if you really want to measure calories burned with all activities get a HRM.

    BTW, I have a flex and while I like it, I do question it's accuracy.

    Amen!

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