Looking to start out/Best device to help track activity?

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SpencerGJackson
SpencerGJackson Posts: 40 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone.

I have grown tired of my sedentary lifestyle and have decided to take it upon myself to start working out.

However, outside of PE in high school, and that was 7 years ago i have never worked out a day in my life.
I have maintained a healthy body weight due to having type 1 diabetes wy whole life, but i am far from "in shape."

My Fiancee and I are looking to start going to the gym and running around town. However i have obviiusly never even.set foot in a gym and have no clue where to begin.

I downloaded the MFP app and saw it mentioned activity monitoring devices. This intrigued the geek i am and i startin
started looking them up.

From what i have read a HRM is best for monitoring exercise and working out. However I would like something that tracks my daily activity as well, such as the FitBit and the like.

I know the new Samsung gear fit has a HRM as well as pedometer feature. However its rather expensive.

Would I better getting a FitBit and a Polar or something like that?

Please help a total fitness noob find his way. Haha

Thanks,
Spencer

Replies

  • SpencerGJackson
    SpencerGJackson Posts: 40 Member
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    Shoot. Did not see the "Getting started" subforum. Sorry.
  • herjourneytofitness
    herjourneytofitness Posts: 3 Member
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    The Garmin Vivofit is a great option! It's a fitness tracker and heart rate monitor combined, and has been getting really great reviews.
  • SpencerGJackson
    SpencerGJackson Posts: 40 Member
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    Thanks for the input. I'll look that one up.
  • SpencerGJackson
    SpencerGJackson Posts: 40 Member
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    Golly, I hate being indecisive. The reviews I read are mixed on the Garmin.
    Something about inaccurate calorie burning calculations.

    I like the daily activity and sleep monitoring the FitBitb does.

    But I'd also like a HRM for the times I exercise.

    I might have to consider both. Unless there's a HRM that allows me too not use the chest strap and use it like a FitBit daily then allow me toy hook up the chest strap when I do work out.
  • herjourneytofitness
    herjourneytofitness Posts: 3 Member
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    Personally I have a fitbit one that I use every day, and then I use my polar ft4 during workouts. You can look into the polar loop for an activity tracker with HRM capabilities as well. I suggested the Garmin because I work in a sports store, and it seems to be the most popular one as of late, because most people don't want to have the two separate devices like I have.
  • SpencerGJackson
    SpencerGJackson Posts: 40 Member
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    In no way did i mean to discredit what you suggested. I'm just trying to look at ALL options.

    I really like the look of the Garmin.

    I just hear so much good about polar it's making it hard to decide.
  • starspecks
    starspecks Posts: 49 Member
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    Garmin fixed the calorie error with an update on July 23rd. It has been working perfectly since and is on point with calorie burns.
  • SpencerGJackson
    SpencerGJackson Posts: 40 Member
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    Garmin fixed the calorie error with an update on July 23rd. It has been working perfectly since and is on point with calorie burns.
    Really? That's awesome. I might just go with that.
  • mikeyrs
    mikeyrs Posts: 176 Member
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    I use both a Withings Pulse and the Garmin Vivofit (with HRM). I also use a Polar H7 Bluetooth Smart HRM with DigiFit iCardio on my iPod Touch.

    The Withings Pulse tracks my general health markers and it also tracks changes in elevation; the Pulse is really accurate and reliable, too.

    The Garmin Vivofit is waterproof so I also wear the Vivofit when I'm kayaking, canoeing, swimming, fishing, and cycling. It seems to somewhat overstate my steps due to random arm motion throughout the day. But the Vivofit has a pretty effective Community and Competition aspect to it that has driven my activity higher than it was previously with just the Pulse clipped to my pocket. Prior to my foot injury, I had been bumped up to the 150,000 Step Challenge level and tallied over a Million steps in just a couple of months.

    Starspecks is correct. Garmin Connect is behaving better with MFP, the calorie burns are more accurate when compared against my Polar H7, and the Vivofit firmware is being improved on a regular basis. I recommend the Vivofit for people with an interest in pursuing the active lifestyle. The only downside is the wrist strap, which is insufficiently secure for an active lifestyle. But there are inexpensive aftermarket accessories to cure the wrist strap security issue. I suggest you look up the Vivofit on Amazon and see what others are buying to cure the wrist strap retention issue.

    Other than that, I would buy the Vivofit again and I recommend it to others interested in participating in weekly competition.
  • SpencerGJackson
    SpencerGJackson Posts: 40 Member
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    Well then, that settles it. Vivofit it is.

    Thanks for all the input everyone!
  • nick42mfp
    nick42mfp Posts: 4 Member
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    I'm also staring out looking at active trackers.
    Do the VivoFit/Smart sync with the MFP iPhone App?
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I love my Vivofit. I've had it for a few days, and it's really good. It does sync to MFP. Just sync your garmin connect account to MFP, and it will pull over the numbers when you sync. Also, you can connect MFP to garmin connect and it will put tell you how many more calories you can consume.

    I also like that the Vivofit can double as a watch, which is great for where I work.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Personally I have a fitbit one that I use every day, and then I use my polar ft4 during workouts. You can look into the polar loop for an activity tracker with HRM capabilities as well. I suggested the Garmin because I work in a sports store, and it seems to be the most popular one as of late, because most people don't want to have the two separate devices like I have.

    This!^

    A lot is going to depend upon the type of activity/workout you want to track.

    I have a Polar & FitBit One

    FitBit's are fancy pedometers. If your workout is step based then they're not too bad.

    HRMs are designed for steady state cardio....not hiit, not strength training, not circuit training. An on-line estimator is just as good.

    FitBits are great for determining activity level. Some people have lots of steps one day, and far fewer the next. This allows you to average things out.
  • nick42mfp
    nick42mfp Posts: 4 Member
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    Well, I bit the bullet and bought the Vivosmart and HRM (Large) - Slate. :smile:
  • Elvenhearted
    Elvenhearted Posts: 13
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    Jumping in because I'd like advice too please. Most of my exercise is walking/jogging BUT I push a stroller as well. A wrist pedometer would be pointless, wouldn't it, given that I'm not swinging my arms to activate the step counting? As far as HRMs go, I'm liking the sound of this Vivofit!
  • nick42mfp
    nick42mfp Posts: 4 Member
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    I've read elsewhere where people worried about step-counters not tracking when using a desk-treadmill or pushing a stroller, in either case the arms aren't moving.

    The tip was to either attach the tracker to your shoelaces or around your ankle to get the needed movement.

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