Fitness Trackers. Are they worth the hype?
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JenniferInCt wrote: »And alot of people who say theirs isnt accurate are sometimes wearing it wrong or the settings are wrong. Im not swearing its accurate, but i was surprised its more accurate than i thought.
How do they wear it wrong? Is it comfortable to wear or something you just have to get used to? I don't wear a watch anymore. I guess I would have to get used to that aspect again.0 -
I bought a FitBit Charge and I love it. I am on #TeamSedintary. I haven't been moving very much and I have a desk job where I don't get to do a lot of walking because I am needed to answer service calls. When I bought it, I had no idea how many steps I was taking a day, but I knew it wasn't enough, and I knew I wanted to get moving. This has helped me tremendously! I was maybe walking 1200 steps a day - incredible! Now I make the effort to get up and move, and I am getting about 3 - 4,000 just at work. I like the FitBit dashboard that shows me exactly where I am in meeting my goals. This is updated throughout the day, and I can check it at any point during the day to see my progress or lack of.
I wear the tracker on my non-dominant wrist so I don't get counts for certain movements. I've tested it to see and it's not counting typing, driving, cooking - unless I'm taking steps. It tells me flights of steps, calories burned, and even has a caller ID function to tell me who's calling me. That's helpful in the middle of a workout - I don't have to search for my phone, I can just use my Bluetooth to answer the call.
I like the sleep tracker, because I suffer from insomnia, and it shows up every couple of months for about 3 weeks. The data I get from the sleep monitoring is valuable to me. I wear my tracker 24/7 except for showering.
My Charge was def for me, but hey, a fitness tracker may not be your thing. Only you can determine that.0 -
There is no possible way for a fitness tracker to accurately calculate how much work you've done (which is equivalent to how much energy you've expended) over the course of a day (or any time period). As such, I find them to be not worth the expense.
Why not? When it's measuring your HR and activity levels it can be pretty close.
I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. I compared it to my chest HR monitor for both runs and spin class and they were within 5% of each other. Close enough.
It measures my activity level through out the day, if I'm up and moving around more it gives me more calories, if I'm a lazy bum it takes them away.
I don't have a problem with it not accurately counting steps. It does not do it when I am driving, typing or stuff of that nature.
I have also calibrated it to my stride lengths.
It can measure non step based activities fine, it records my spin sessions or bike trainer sessions just fine.
I love it, looking at the HR data especially if I am doing interval work is very interesting. It is also a lot more comfortable then a chest HR monitor.
It's because your heart rate doesn't equate to how much work you're doing. There are only loose correlations between the two. The more your body adapts to something, the lower your heart rate will be when you do it. That's a big part of why they are useless during strength training. First time you squat 225 lbs? Your heartrate will likely be through the roof. After several times of squatting more than 225? Your heart rate won't rise nearly as much. Yet it still took the same amount of energy (Calories) to lift the same amount of weight.
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I have a Bodymedia. Been using it for about 1.75 years.
The part that sets it off from the others is it uses bio impedance to tell stuff, as well as the normal pedometer functions. It has a metal back that has to be touching your skin so it can tell your galvanic skin response, skin temp, and how fast you are getting rid of heat.
My big test for it was walking from the basement to 2nd floor 5 times in a row with nothing in my hands, and 2hrs later doing it again with a laundry basket filled with clothes. It said I burnt more cals the second time.
It also did a good job of telling me I burnt cals on a day I mostly stood still on a ladder, with 2 people bring me stuff, and 2 more taking it away, being part of a chain moving boxes out of an attic...which is better then my phone which told me I was barely active on that day.
Bodymedia got bought out by Jawbone, who are using the tech in the not yet out Up3, plus tossing in a heart rate monitor, while fitting it all into a bracelet.
I don't think any of them are super accurate, but over time it really has helped me get a better idea of what kind of numbers I will see. I figure it is within 10% easily. I don't think of them as cals, more like the weights you see on a gym machine. It is just different levels...so if I see I had a 2653 day that means I did more than on a 2450 day, and less than on a 2878 day.
I pretty much always eat less than the number it gives me, and I seem to be losing weight.
For example, average over the last 28 days burn of 2894, ate 2377, steps 9344, 5:20 sleep, 2:24 moderate activity, 0:03 vigorous activity.
Given I normally go to bed tween 12-1a, and normally wake up before my 6;45 alarm, 5:20 is pretty normal sleep wise for me. Then about every 2 months or so I crash for 10-12 hrs for a night.
Moderate activity is 3-6 METs. Vigorous is above 6 METs.
MET (Metabolic Equivalent): The ratio of the work metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate. One MET is defined as 1 kcal/kg/hour and is roughly equivalent to the energy cost of sitting quietly. If you want more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent
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WaterBunnie wrote: »Another FitBit One lover here. Unless your mobile is in your pocket at all times it's not going to be as accurate. Sleep function isn't much use. It can't know whether you are asleep or just laying still for 8 hours. From a motivational point of view it's excellent and having it synced here it automatically adjusts your activity level for you so you eat more or less as required. I love mine and have lost 97lbs since I got it (for my 20lbs lost reward). I would definitely replace it with the same model if I needed to as I see it as more reliable and discreet than the wrist worn devices.
so it measures it by movement? Figures as much. I don't know what I was expecting. I guess it could be useful for me though to see if I have problems over time with sleep or it shows improvement. I would like to try to make sure I get 8 hours of sleep.0 -
SandyCoils wrote: »I bought a FitBit Charge and I love it. I am on #TeamSedintary. I haven't been moving very much and I have a desk job where I don't get to do a lot of walking because I am needed to answer service calls. When I bought it, I had no idea how many steps I was taking a day, but I knew it wasn't enough, and I knew I wanted to get moving. This has helped me tremendously! I was maybe walking 1200 steps a day - incredible! Now I make the effort to get up and move, and I am getting about 3 - 4,000 just at work. I like the FitBit dashboard that shows me exactly where I am in meeting my goals. This is updated throughout the day, and I can check it at any point during the day to see my progress or lack of.
I wear the tracker on my non-dominant wrist so I don't get counts for certain movements. I've tested it to see and it's not counting typing, driving, cooking - unless I'm taking steps. It tells me flights of steps, calories burned, and even has a caller ID function to tell me who's calling me. That's helpful in the middle of a workout - I don't have to search for my phone, I can just use my Bluetooth to answer the call.
I like the sleep tracker, because I suffer from insomnia, and it shows up every couple of months for about 3 weeks. The data I get from the sleep monitoring is valuable to me. I wear my tracker 24/7 except for showering.
My Charge was def for me, but hey, a fitness tracker may not be your thing. Only you can determine that.
is that a separate bluetooth thing that you use or something included with the FitBit?
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There is no possible way for a fitness tracker to accurately calculate how much work you've done (which is equivalent to how much energy you've expended) over the course of a day (or any time period). As such, I find them to be not worth the expense.
Why not? When it's measuring your HR and activity levels it can be pretty close.
I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. I compared it to my chest HR monitor for both runs and spin class and they were within 5% of each other. Close enough.
It measures my activity level through out the day, if I'm up and moving around more it gives me more calories, if I'm a lazy bum it takes them away.
I don't have a problem with it not accurately counting steps. It does not do it when I am driving, typing or stuff of that nature.
I have also calibrated it to my stride lengths.
It can measure non step based activities fine, it records my spin sessions or bike trainer sessions just fine.
I love it, looking at the HR data especially if I am doing interval work is very interesting. It is also a lot more comfortable then a chest HR monitor.
It's because your heart rate doesn't equate to how much work you're doing. There are only loose correlations between the two. The more your body adapts to something, the lower your heart rate will be when you do it. That's a big part of why they are useless during strength training. First time you squat 225 lbs? Your heartrate will likely be through the roof. After several times of squatting more than 225? Your heart rate won't rise nearly as much. Yet it still took the same amount of energy (Calories) to lift the same amount of weight.
So for strength training it isn't effective?0 -
It's separate, I hate holding my phone so I have had a Bluetooth for years.jalarson23 wrote: »is that a separate bluetooth thing that you use or something included with the FitBit?
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I have a Bodymedia. Been using it for about 1.75 years.
The part that sets it off from the others is it uses bio impedance to tell stuff, as well as the normal pedometer functions. It has a metal back that has to be touching your skin so it can tell your galvanic skin response, skin temp, and how fast you are getting rid of heat.
My big test for it was walking from the basement to 2nd floor 5 times in a row with nothing in my hands, and 2hrs later doing it again with a laundry basket filled with clothes. It said I burnt more cals the second time.
It also did a good job of telling me I burnt cals on a day I mostly stood still on a ladder, with 2 people bring me stuff, and 2 more taking it away, being part of a chain moving boxes out of an attic...which is better then my phone which told me I was barely active on that day.
Bodymedia got bought out by Jawbone, who are using the tech in the not yet out Up3, plus tossing in a heart rate monitor, while fitting it all into a bracelet.
Aesthetically, I really like these. They look really customizable. Too bad that they are having delays. I am weary of first gen tech though too.
I don't think any of them are super accurate, but over time it really has helped me get a better idea of what kind of numbers I will see. I figure it is within 10% easily. I don't think of them as cals, more like the weights you see on a gym machine. It is just different levels...so if I see I had a 2653 day that means I did more than on a 2450 day, and less than on a 2878 day.
I'm getting the impression to not put much stake in the numbers, except how they compare to other entries. What you say seems to support this logic.I pretty much always eat less than the number it gives me, and I seem to be losing weight.
For example, average over the last 28 days burn of 2894, ate 2377, steps 9344, 5:20 sleep, 2:24 moderate activity, 0:03 vigorous activity.
Given I normally go to bed tween 12-1a, and normally wake up before my 6;45 alarm, 5:20 is pretty normal sleep wise for me. Then about every 2 months or so I crash for 10-12 hrs for a night.
Moderate activity is 3-6 METs. Vigorous is above 6 METs.
MET (Metabolic Equivalent): The ratio of the work metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate. One MET is defined as 1 kcal/kg/hour and is roughly equivalent to the energy cost of sitting quietly. If you want more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent
I like how it breaks it down for you. I will have to look into this one a bit more, thanks.
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I have a Vivosmart made by Garmin, What I have noticed, it will change my goal as I become more or less active. Also it seems to measure your gate, So I counted 20 paces and it reported accurately 20 steps. I do Weightlifting, it does not measure any of my weight training as in Bench press, but will measure the steps I am doing in between sets, etc. You can connect it to a heart monitor and use Garmin connect to map your running. I am quite happy with it and so is my wife.
I agree. I use and LOVE my Vivofit! No matter what anyone says, I seem to be losing weight using MFP and my Vivofit together. Basing my gate/pace, my sleep, my calories consumed, etc. I think the two have been a really great way to use the tools. AND, it syncs with MFP like a clock. Worth $100.00 for me.
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I have a Vivosmart made by Garmin, What I have noticed, it will change my goal as I become more or less active. Also it seems to measure your gate, So I counted 20 paces and it reported accurately 20 steps. I do Weightlifting, it does not measure any of my weight training as in Bench press, but will measure the steps I am doing in between sets, etc. You can connect it to a heart monitor and use Garmin connect to map your running. I am quite happy with it and so is my wife.
I also have a vivo fit by Garmin. I love it! I don't use it to keep track of calories, although I could. I use it to count # of steps. Yes, it does measure things like teeth brushing -- although if that bothers you, just remove it for that. i like that it reminds me to get up and move. I enjoy the sleep feature -- when you sync it with the computer, you get a graph of your sleep pattern. I find it very accurate. I got it for chanukah this past december and haven't taken it off yet (except to shower)!
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Another Fitbit One addict here...I love mine. I would be a lazy slug without it. It makes me get up and move because I can't stand the low number if I don't. Everyone I know that has one loves it.0
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http://time.com/516/26-fitness-trackers-ranked-from-worst-to-first/
When I was shopping for my fitness tracker the link above really helped. I really liked Fitbit flex because it motivates me. I take the stairs more and make more trips through the office. It's synced with MFP and each week I get an email from Fitbit that shows my weekly steps, distance, calories in, calories out and sleep patterns in a dashboard. I know these aren't all accurate but it's great to see the weekly totals. Also if you friends have one too you can challenge them to contests like most steps and such.
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elizabeth413watt wrote: »http://time.com/516/26-fitness-trackers-ranked-from-worst-to-first/
When I was shopping for my fitness tracker the link above really helped. I really liked Fitbit flex because it motivates me. I take the stairs more and make more trips through the office. It's synced with MFP and each week I get an email from Fitbit that shows my weekly steps, distance, calories in, calories out and sleep patterns in a dashboard. I know these aren't all accurate but it's great to see the weekly totals. Also if you friends have one too you can challenge them to contests like most steps and such.
Unfortunately that list is a bit dated at this point. The Force, for example, was indeed recalled, but Fitbit has other equivalent device that have come out this year.
It's definitely a good idea to do some research on fitness wearables in general, though.
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Sense Me is a great app for smart phones, though it is supposed to be worn on the arm while in use. It can track cardio and also some strength training moves like squats and push ups. It tracks sleep and commute time as well. I didn't explore it very much and navigating it is a little hard at first but I think it's good to get an idea of what you do.0
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I have a BodyMedia Fit (which, sadly, is no longer made since the company was bought by Jawbone) and it looks at sweat production, heat production, and heat flux along with an accelerometer. It was shown in clinical studies to be within 5% of body box measurements, which is the gold standard for metabolic studies.There is no possible way for a fitness tracker to accurately calculate how much work you've done (which is equivalent to how much energy you've expended) over the course of a day (or any time period). As such, I find them to be not worth the expense.0 -
I have a BodyMedia Fit (which, sadly, is no longer made since the company was bought by Jawbone) and it looks at sweat production, heat production, and heat flux along with an accelerometer. It was shown in clinical studies to be within 5% of body box measurements, which is the gold standard for metabolic studies.There is no possible way for a fitness tracker to accurately calculate how much work you've done (which is equivalent to how much energy you've expended) over the course of a day (or any time period). As such, I find them to be not worth the expense.
This for me too... I love my BodyMedia FIT and I hope the UP3 will be just as accurate.0 -
I think that they are expensive. Howver, I like them and they have encouraged me. I was a proud owner of a FITBIT CHARGE for 1 month. I had to rturn it twice, due to defects with the bracelets. I got the GARMIN VIVOFIT yesterday. I haven't yet figured out which is the better fit for me. But, I do miss my FITBIT already... I will say that wearing one, has encouraged me to get off out of my chair and walk or ride my bike...
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I did use the apps on my phone for awhile, before investing in a fitness tracker. The apps work well, however, sometimes they would freeze up, or I would lose connection on my phone....0
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I personally do not have any fitness trackers, I just don't feel the need for one.
I am active, have been for years.....I don't need a gadget to tell me that... LOL
But to all you "techies" who love them, good for you.... its just not my thing0 -
beemerphile1 wrote: »I personally don't have or want one and millions of people for centuries have done fine without them.
Millions of people have also done fine for centuries without phones, cars, fridges, electricity, central heating, running water, or pretty much anything we would consider a standard amenity of modern life. But I doubt any of us would want to live without any of those things. Not saying that a fitness tracker is the same as running water or whatever, just saying the 'people did fine without them before' argument doesn't really mean anything.
To answer the actual question, I love my Fitbit One. Walking is the only exercise I get so I don't need to worry about it not picking up certain exercises. I don't carry my phone around everywhere so an app wouldn't work as well for me. It syncs automatically with MFP to add on the calories that I've burnt, so if I've been active one day I get calories back, and if I've just sat around another day I don't. This means I don't have to bother with logging all my walking for the day, trying to remember how far I walked for how long or for how fast, and it means I don't have to worry about overeating if I were to give myself a higher activity level then then do nothing one day (I'm currently set to sedentary). Weekdays I usually walk around 15,000 - 20,000 steps, weekends I can walk less than 1,000. My Fitbit means my calories are all done automatically. And even if it isn't completely accurate, it's going to be more accurate than MFP's generic '4.0 mph for 60 minutes'.0 -
I have a Garmin Vivofit. I do like it, except that my job is mostly stationary and I don't always have the luxury of getting up and moving for a few minutes.0
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elizabeth413watt wrote: »http://time.com/516/26-fitness-trackers-ranked-from-worst-to-first/
When I was shopping for my fitness tracker the link above really helped. I really liked Fitbit flex because it motivates me. I take the stairs more and make more trips through the office. It's synced with MFP and each week I get an email from Fitbit that shows my weekly steps, distance, calories in, calories out and sleep patterns in a dashboard. I know these aren't all accurate but it's great to see the weekly totals. Also if you friends have one too you can challenge them to contests like most steps and such.
I have a flex also. Like Elizabeth stated, I really like the nofitications from Fitbit that tells me when I am close to my goal and cheering me when I meet my goal. It also lets me know how my Fitbit friends are doing when we are on challenges together (person A is closing in on your steps; or you have pulled in the lead). The sleep function is informative to me, since I knew I slept oddly and not too soundly; it also lets me know I sleep according to how my husband sleeps (when he is restless, I sleep restless also). Since he knows I have this monitor on, when he is restless, he gets up and sleeps in the other room. Then my monitor shows I slept soundly for longer periods of time.
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Great tool as a trending device. I could care less if the calories or steps are accurate. If I use the same device every day I can see if I have done less, equal or more than previous days weeks, etc. There is value in that.0
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I have had my Fitbit Zip for about two years now. It doesn't track sleep or stairs, but I find it to be really accurate when I compare it to the distance on a cardio machine or using an app like RunKeeper. I just clip it to my pants and go about my day. The motivation part of it plays a huge role for me. When I have my days where I'm just not feeling I check the app to see where I am on steps and it keeps me going, especially if I'm participating in a challenge.
I also like the negative calorie feature that it has here on MFP. I feel that for me it keeps the exercise calories added more realistic than what a cardio or the MFP database tells me I burned.0 -
I don't agree that they are overpriced pedometers..some might be but my jawbone is not. I checked it to see how accurate it was and it's good and I can calibrate it after every walk/run.
The sleep feature is pretty accurate I think esp when I see I got 9 hours sleep and yet I woke up tired...7hours of light sleep and only 2 hours of deep sleep.
I have a fitbit as well (no I didn't buy it I won it) eh not so much of a good thing...
I was skeptical at first too and I went back and forth, finally my husband said get it...so I did Just the Up (non bluetooth) and I have to tell you it is motivating...I have gone from getting on average 5k steps a day to averaging 10 in the last couple months (I haven't had it a year) and that is without exercise working at a desk...
It's not like they are 2k...it's a hundred bucks or less (on sale) get it.0 -
I had the Fitbit Charge HR for all of 24 hours before I returned it. I didn't like wearing it all the time, and I didn't find it as accurate as I had hoped, both with steps and with stairs climbed. It told me I slept well that night, but I knew that anyway. I found my Polar FT4 heartrate monitor with the chest strap to be more accurate and I really just want to know what I'm burning during scheduled exercise, so I'm back to using that. If it had been more comfortable and the band itself been more attractive, I might have given it more time, but for the money spent, I didn't think it was worth it.0
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Worst case, you buy it, try it for a few days, and return it if you didn't like it. That's what I did.0
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Worst case, you buy it, try it for a few days, and return it if you didn't like it. That's what I did.
I don't think 24 hours is enough...might be for the fitbit (I don't like them at all) but to see trends in sleep etc you need to use one a bit longer....for example I woke up tired a few days back...even tho I got a good amount of sleep and didn't wake at all...so I checked my jawbone...bam 1.5 hours of deep sleep and 7 hours of light sleep...explains my tiredness.
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.... First time you squat 225 lbs? Your heartrate will likely be through the roof. After several times of squatting more than 225? Your heart rate won't rise nearly as much. Yet it still took the same amount of energy (Calories) to lift the same amount of weight.
Disagree. First time you squat 225 you will exert more effort to lift it. It's a new exercise, your not use to it. If you squat 225 a week or two later your body and muscles will be adapted to that weight and will not exert as much effort. The heart rate will be lower thus record less effort (ie. less calories burned).
Add more weight and therefor more effort and heart rate goes back up, recording more burn.
And I have a Vivosmart as well. Love it. Motivational tool. Go to bed and see I'm 100 steps shy of my goal for the day and I'm back up going up and down the stairs 4 times and double checking all the lights in the house. 100% accurate? Nope. But way more accurate then nothing at all. I was surprised at how little activity I did on a daily basis until I started using mine and realized I was as active as I thought I was.
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