To anybody thinking buying an activity tracker

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135

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  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
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    I'm thinking of getting one of these when i get paid next month.

    http://www.kiperformance.co.uk/products/default.aspx

    Just thought i would share the info. These are apparently the next step up from a plain old hrm. They track EVERYTHING. And can tell you how much total calories you burn in a day with an astonishing level of accuracy.

    Lol those are BodyMedias.... In a different shell. I guess that is the UK version. Seems like copyright infringement. LOL

    Instead of just loling at me mind telling me if they are any good?
    I have this exact product, yes it's good, extremely accurate for me
  • guardianwill
    guardianwill Posts: 54 Member
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    Love my Garmin Vivofit. It helps me understand my everyday activities and it is waterproof and the battery lasts about a year so you put it on and sync once or twice a day and forget about it. All fitness bands have thier pro's and con's and the garmin isn't any different. The cons of it though can be overlooked a bit easier than the others.
  • BramageOMG
    BramageOMG Posts: 319 Member
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    The iWatch (apple) will probably be announced this week. I use a free app called Pacer. It connects to MFP, and as long as I have my phone in my pocket, its tracking. I average over 16K step a day, and its FREE $0
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Buy a Garmin. It'll make every other device look like the toy that it is.............

    HRM ≠ Activity Tracker

    Vivofit...

    Integrated with the rest of the suite. While my Garmin includes an HRM, that's not the principal reason for having it.
  • chrisinleedsuk
    chrisinleedsuk Posts: 2 Member
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    Wholeheartedly agree. I bought a Motoactv secondhand off eBay and it's been some of the best money I've ever spent.
  • Tlorlang
    Tlorlang Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi all...just getting started here. I have been using my Garmin the last three months and love it. Just started to connect it with mfp today!
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
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    Yeah in the end I decided to start off with a fitbit flex. I don't think I will need a fancy schmancy bodymedia. The flex is awesome.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    I finally got myself a Fitbit Zip this last week. LOVE it! Sure, it "just" tracks steps and translates that into a calorie burn (which my Android phone does the same thing, for "free"). However, strapping a giant Galaxy S4 to my body was a little ridiculous (too big for "lady" sized pockets, lol).

    The Zip does exactly what I want it to do--track my cardio, which is all step based anyway (jogging, walking, jump roping even counts). I can enter my strength training into the Fitbit App, too, and it consolidates and syncs it all to MFP. Sure, I was doing this on my own before with a spreadsheet and whatnot, but this is so much easier.

    So far this last week, the numbers seem to be pretty darn close to what I was hand calculating, so I am confident that it will be a useful tool to keep track of my exercise in a more simple and less time consuming way.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
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    I have a Wii Fit Meter. I love seeing just how many calories I burn at work. Very informative!
  • gabrielleelliott90
    gabrielleelliott90 Posts: 854 Member
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    Well you have to be careful. I had a fitbit, was great before less than a year later it would not switch on yet was fully charged!!!!

    I got a cheap £5 acitivity tracker off ebay, it's alright with walking for an hour or a bit over, but when it comes to hours- say 5, it tells me just by walking and standing around and putting things away etc that I've burnt over 1000- which would not be true, and I ended up having stagnant weight loss, so now, I don't use it when I volunteer which was where I was getting the over 1000 cal from when wearing it.

    They are hit and miss. It also doesn't record zumba accurately for me. I have asked for a polar hrm for my birthday/christmas.
  • flavia1432
    flavia1432 Posts: 30 Member
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    I need a new tracker too but I'm not doing anything until I see what the iWatch is all about. Both my Fitbit One's fit-bit the dust. I want water proof and I want wearable options. I'm not going to wear a clunky arm piece, or a rubber band around my wrist all day, every day. So depending on what Apple announces, I'll probably go with the Misfit Shine and just get a more secure band.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I kept thinking of getting one, and I always talk myself out of it. I've made my large exercise purchase for the year, my BoSu ball, and I can't say I regret buying it instead of an activity tracker.

    Maybe my tune will change when the iWatch comes out, but idk, I just don't see myself needing it. I don't walk for exercise, and they can't really track activity outside of that (from what my understanding of them are). We shall see.
  • Kaelakcr
    Kaelakcr Posts: 505 Member
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    My advice would be to DO IT, DO IT NOW. From a swanky and expensive wristband to a £2-off-eBay pedometer, I can’t recommend them highly enough.

    I have got the Fitbit One (I wanted the Nike+ Fuelband but it’s not compatible with Android) and whilst it is expensive for a posh pedometer, it has achieved one thing money can’t buy – it has made me more aware of my fitness / activity levels and I am constantly striving to hit my targets, improve on previous best scores, etc – all making me more active than I have been in 20 years.

    To those who dismiss them as overpriced gadgets, I would fully agree (for what they actually are and the functionality they provide) but seeing as it took the initial outlay to get me active, get out into the sunshine, get fitter, lose more calories than just dieting alone, etc, I consider it money well spent.

    I 100% agree. I am way more aware of how much I'm actually moving, which is ESSENTIAL for me. I have terrible fatigue and pain so I tend to stagnate.

    I entirely recommend a tracker. Fitbit One and future Flex owner.
  • dlibonati
    dlibonati Posts: 99 Member
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    I love gadgets and gamification type stuff for working out. I use a polar HRM for working out, but I've used both the nike fuel band and UP band (until I lost it). I'm holding off for now until the next generation of trackers come out, I feel like they're close to better tracking advancements... also fingers crossed for an apple wearable!
  • tracie_minus100
    tracie_minus100 Posts: 465 Member
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    I got a Fitbit a week and a half ago and so far it's been awesome. It has definitely helped to increase my movement.
  • fushigi1988
    fushigi1988 Posts: 519 Member
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    it tells me just by walking and standing around and putting things away etc that I've burnt over 1000- which would not be true

    It can be true if it adds in your BMR aswell.
  • kelleybean1
    kelleybean1 Posts: 312 Member
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    I prefer my BodyMedia FIT. Not a fan of the Fitbits.

    Is your BMF still working correctly? Mine went haywire when they changed the algorithms back in March and now it's useless. It gives me insane credit for every activity. Customer support says it's more accurate now and won't do anything about it. I don't think it's very likely that I, as a 40 year-old 132 pound woman with a desk job, burn 2700 calories on a rest day. :frown:

    The same thing happened to me. I used to love my BMF Core, but it started overestimating by 500 cals a day--useless. Customer service insisted that the calories were correct and that this was an "improvement". I discontinued my account and went back to my old fitbit. I love the fitbit, but miss my BM core!
  • Janette3x4
    Janette3x4 Posts: 135
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    My advice would be to DO IT, DO IT NOW. From a swanky and expensive wristband to a £2-off-eBay pedometer, I can’t recommend them highly enough.

    I have got the Fitbit One (I wanted the Nike+ Fuelband but it’s not compatible with Android) and whilst it is expensive for a posh pedometer, it has achieved one thing money can’t buy – it has made me more aware of my fitness / activity levels and I am constantly striving to hit my targets, improve on previous best scores, etc – all making me more active than I have been in 20 years.

    To those who dismiss them as overpriced gadgets, I would fully agree (for what they actually are and the functionality they provide) but seeing as it took the initial outlay to get me active, get out into the sunshine, get fitter, lose more calories than just dieting alone, etc, I consider it money well spent.

    I agree! My Fitbit Flex has been my best purchase this year!

    Ditto!!!???? I ???? my flex!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    They are, of course, unnecessary. Gadgets, yes. If people are buying them, they aren't overpriced.

    I'm already motivated to exercise. If I weren't, an electronic gadget would not motivate me. No, I would pay for one. Not a single dollar.

    But I think that if they help someone motivate themselves, that's great. Even if it doesn't help and you just like gadgets, that's great, too.

    Not everything is for everyone!! :)
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I have looked at them...fitbit being the main one..and I see apple is coming out with a new one...but eh. It could be fun to compete with friends etc but I really don't need one to keep me motivated.

    My weight loss does that and the fact I chose exercise I love keeps me motivated.

    I think they are great if they do keep you motivated but I would rather spend the money on new plates or a new bar or new shoes for working out in.

    I said this on June 10th....bought one in August with some "free" money from work...Yup they work for getting you going...

    I like hitting my goal steps, I love the sleep tracking etc.

    convert.

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